Ratchet and Clank: A Truth Revealed
by jon3s115
Summary: Our heroes are back in action when a sudden and surprising turn of events occur. As our heroes are traveling, they receive and odd distress signal that not even Clank can read. What is it? Who sent it? What do they want? And what is becoming of the Polaris Galaxy? Takes place one year after A Crack in Time (All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault are non existent here).
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to my new readers and welcome back to my returning. Are you all ready to start a new book with a new universe? I know I am. I hope that you all know the history of Ratchet and Clank, if not, I made a blog post that outlines the story and characters in the games. In terms of chronology, this takes place after the comic series. All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault (the two latest games) do not exist in this universe as they were side games not tied in with the story. _

**Chapter 1: The Signal**

_When we left off, Ratchet, Clank, and Sasha defeated Artimus Zogg. Just after the defeat, Talwyn, whom was presumed dead after a crash, met up with the three on the Apogee Space Station. Ratchet was thrilled that his best friend had survived and embraced her in a hug. Sasha debriefed the group along with the Galactic Rangers and left for Solana. Ratchet, Clank, and Talwyn were now left in Polaris to continue their lives. However, the entire Lombax fiasco still haunted Ratchet. _

_One year later…_

Our heroes had been wandering the galaxy for some time. Every once in a while they would find a small job. Just recently, the two helped a group of Agorians fight off space bandits in the Korthos Sector. The duo was paid a hefty 7,500 bolts for their assistance. After that, Ratchet and Clank were at a loss of what to do. They had thought about returning to Solana and asking Sasha if any assistance was required, but Ratchet had Talwyn to take care of. The two had been together ever since Artimus attacked, so leaving the galaxy and Talwyn was out of the question. However, an option was thrown at them when one day they received something very unusual.

"I can't believe not a single person in this galaxy needs help." Ratchet said as he warped to the Cerullean Sector.

Aphelion replied, "I am currently scanning all available channels for any distress signals."

Clank added, "I understand your courage and need to protect these people Ratchet, but you must take a break some time. You cannot do these jobs nonstop."

Ratchet shook his head, "Clank, the last job we had was helping the Agorians. I contacted Mac to see if any new challenges opened in the Battleplex, but they hadn't added anything. I don't know- it's just been a while since we did something."

Clank nodded, "I agree, we have been dormant for some time. But you are doing more a job looking for one than doing one."

Ratchet shook his head, "It doesn't matter; we're going to the Apogee Station to rest anyway."

Clank nodded, "Thank you, Ratchet."

During the warp, Ratchet started to think about his past.

"Do you think joining the Lombax's was a better choice?" He asked.

Clank looked at him, "Why do you ask?"

Ratchet shrugged, "I don't know, it's been bugging me ever since Tachyon gave me the chance."

Clank shook his head, "Either choice would have been good. But I appreciate you choosing to stay and stopping Tachyon."

Ratchet looked troubled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Clank spoke up after some silence, "Ratchet, you are a very lucky Lombax. Remember that Kaden sent you to Veldin to be saved from Tachyon- look at where you are now."

As the three came out of warp, Aphelion started to go haywire.

"Distress signal received. Repeat, distress signal received. Signature is of L…" Aphelion then went quiet.

Ratchet looked at the HUD, "What?" Aphelion didn't reply. "Aphelion?" There was still no response.

The ship was then rocked when several laser blasts hit the shields.

Clank was quick, "Bandits incoming."

"Hang on Clank" Ratchet said as he rolled to the left.

He quickly caught sight of the group of bandits. They were piloting ships that he had not seen.

"Whoever these guys are, they won't get far." Ratchet said, "Aphelion, switch to Proton Cutters."

Aphelion still wouldn't respond.

"Aphelion!" Ratchet yelled. The ship was rocked once more by more laser fire, "Damn it" Ratchet then manually activated the weapons. He fired at the small group in front of him and quickly destroyed them. The Proton Cutters were a very strong weapon granted to Aphelion from the Zoni. The weapon fired a stream of protons in a straight line and had a zero time interval between shots, therefore allowing for continuous fire. The two remaining bandits then came out in front from their attack run. Ratchet quickly destroyed one with the cutters. Suddenly, the Apogee Station cannons opened fire and destroyed the last fighter.

"Aphelion, respond" The ship AI stayed quiet, "Aphelion, what happened?"

Clank opened the on board computer, "It appears Aphelion was infected." He said, "According to the system check, a virus that restrains all communication was implanted on Aphelion."

Ratchet was confused, "How did a virus get on Aphelion? And why communication?"

Clank closed the computer, "One of the laser blasts must have been a device of some sort attaching to Aphelion. The virus could have uploaded from there. But you are right; a virus restraining communication is odd."

Ratchet shook his head, "What could have sent the signal?"

Clank shrugged, "I am not sure."

He then went over the downloaded file in his memory banks. To him it was a jumbled mess of code that he couldn't read. The most he was able to get out of it was that it was in fact a distress signal.

"Ratchet, I have thoroughly analyzed the file. It appears to be a distress signal. However, I am unable to read it." Clank said.

Ratchet then landed Aphelion inside the ship bay of the space station.

"That's odd; Aphelion was about to say what it was. How come you can't?" Ratchet asked as he jumped out of Aphelion.

Clank shrugged, "I am not sure."

Ratchet was a bit confused, "Do you think Tal has something to read it?"

Clank nodded, "I am sure she has something capable of determining the signal."

The two then entered the main bridge. Talwyn looked over at the two as they entered, "Hey you two." She said as she walked over.

Talwyn watched as Clank went over to the computer. "What's up with Clank?"

Ratchet shrugged, "Aphelion received a distress signal."

Talwyn looked confused, "What is it?"

Ratchet shook his head, "The bandits that were outside implanted some kind of virus on Aphelion. She couldn't tell us the signature before she went silent."

Talwyn and Ratchet then ran over to Clank, who had already uploaded the file to the computer. On the screen appeared several lines of code.

Talwyn looked at the lines, "What is this?"

Clank looked at the two, "It is the signature implanted on the distress signal."

Talwyn started to type, "Maybe the computer can decode it."

Ratchet watched as several command prompts opened up and scanned the file.

Suddenly, several lines of odd writing appeared over the code. Talwyn was shocked at the sight.

"That's… that's a Lombax signature." She said.

Ratchet was stunned, "What? That's impossible."

The language that the Lombax's used for writing started to replace the lines of code. Quickly, Talwyn stared to read it off.

"Need… assistance… unknown… discovered…" Talwyn stopped.

Ratchet was now worried, "What's discovered?"

Talwyn shook her head, "The rest of the code is corrupted. But whoever sent this is still alive and needs help."

Ratchet was now frantic, "Can you find the location?"

Talwyn started to type, "If we still have the signal…" She paused, "…almost."

Clank watched and suddenly found some code he could read.

"Greblin!" He said loudly.

Ratchet was a bit puzzled, "Greblin?"

Clank nodded, "Ratchet, it is Angela!"

_To Be Continued… _

_Welcome to the end of Chapter one! I'm sorry it was a bit short; I didn't intend this one to be very long since it was the beginning. Anyway, I hope you like it so far, along with that little cliff hanger. _

_Leave a review and tell me what you thought. Be sure to follow the story if you enjoyed it and follow me if you like my work in general. Reviews always help, and followers just give me hope. _

_Until next time…_


	2. Chapter 2: Finding Angela

_Hey guys, here comes yet another chapter for Ratchet and Clank. Due to low performance on the last chapter (only 30 views), this book will not span into a trilogy like Crossed Paths. Not much was planned from the beginning, so this isn't much of a bummer to me. _

_On with the chapter…_

**Chapter 2: Finding Angela **

Ratchet's eyes grew wide as Clank said the name Angela. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard the name.

"Oh my god, she's alive!" Ratchet finally said.

Talwyn was confused as ever now, "Okay, who's Angela and what's wrong?"

Ratchet faced Talwyn, "Angela helped us while we were in the Bogon Galaxy. She helped stop the Protopet and is basically the only other Lombax in the Universe." He shook his head, "I could have sworn she died with Max."

Clank cut in, "Ratchet, do you not remember the news report?" he said, "While we were on our way to Axiom City, the news reporter said they found Max's ship with traces of Angela. Max is alive as well!"

Talwyn's jaw dropped. She started to type in many commands and darted out of room.

"Tal, wait!" Ratchet yelled.

Clank shook his head, "Ratchet, it is too late. We must head for Greblin immediately."

Ratchet nodded, "Upload the exact coordinates, now." He then ran out of the room and to Aphelion.

Clank was quick to follow and jumped into the ship. As the two took off, they quickly found Talwyn flying away.

"Tal, hold up, you don't have the coordinates." Ratchet said.

Talwyn sounded serious, "Than give them to me."

Ratchet did so and sent her the location. Ratchet then typed the coordinates himself and entered warp. It took a mere minute for the two to reach Bogon. When they came out of warp, they found a large, crystal blue planet in front of them. Along with the planet were large war ships in atmosphere. The ships were incredibly large and unlike anything that Ratchet had ever seen.

Ratchet was scared, "Oh shit!" He then pushed the thrusters to the max and headed straight into atmosphere. The two quickly made below the cloud cover and found the exact location of the distress signal. All they saw were laser blast's flying everywhere.

Clank was now frightened, "Ratchet, please be careful!"

Ratchet had a mean look on his face, "I'm not letting them die."

Suddenly, someone tried to contact them.

"Clank, patch it through!" Ratchet said quickly.

He then rolled over and fired upon the troops on the ground.

A female face appeared on screen.

"This is Angela Cross a…." She paused, "…. RATCHET?!"

He smiled, "You miss me?"

"Wha-…" Angela said as Ratchet cut her off.

"Hold that thought!" He said as he ended the comm line and continued laying support fire.

Clank watched, "Who are these people?"

Ratchet shook his head, "I have no idea."

Ratchet came back around and didn't see many troops on the ground. There were so many moving in on Angela's stronghold. Large transports carrying the troops continued to move in reinforcements. The movements of the troops moving in on the stronghold made them seem like zombies. They were slowly walking and firing upon the area while not even flinching from return fire.

Ratchet grunted, "Aphelion doesn't have the firepower to stop those troops."

Clank looked at Ratchet, "What do you mean?"

Ratchet then looked over and activated the passenger controls for Clank. Ratchet then pressed a button on his chest and activated the Hyperflux Armor.

"Try not to hit me" Ratchet said. As Aphelion flew over the stronghold for Angela, Ratchet ejected and landed swiftly on the ground.

He heard the troops yell, "Another Lombax! Take it out!"

The troop movements then became livelier. The mass amount of enemies started to run towards the stronghold and Ratchet now.

Ratchet looked up at the many troops, "You messed… with the wrong Lombax!" He then pulled out a small handle. It instantly turned into the top secret weapon known as the RYNO Mk V. As soon as Ratchet placed the sight on the large army, they yelled new orders.

"RYNO! Focus all fire on armored Lombax!" he heard them yell.

"Not today!" Ratchet yelled.

He then pulled the trigger and sent the barrage of bullets and missiles spewing out of the barrel of the immense gun. All the troops stopped dead in their tracks and tried to run back. However the incredibly quick fire rate of the RYNO quickly downed half of the army that was moving in on Angela's small stronghold. Suddenly, the RYNO stopped firing. The gun had run out of its 45000 bullet clip and 10,000 missile clip.

Ratchet displaced the weapon and pulled out another handle. This was a new weapon that Gadgetron had recently granted him for not only being the hero of many galaxies, but also for using the secret weapons for good. The new handle he pulled out morphed into the prototype weapon simply called the RYNO X. The design of the gun was similar to that of the RYNO Mk V, but it had three times as many barrels and an astounding 90,000 bullet clip mixed with a 75,000 small missile clip. The color was also changed to white and grey along with a larger viewing scope on the side.

Ratchet then pulled the trigger and sent another barrage of fire at the remaining troops. Suddenly, both Talwyn and Aphelion came down and fired upon the troop transports. Ratchet looked up and found a large amount of enemy ships flying around. The leader of this army was definitely not pleased and was stuck on killing Max and Angela, no matter what.

Ratchet then pointed the X to the sky and pulled the trigger.

"Talwyn, Clank, stay out of my vicinity. I don't want to hit you with the X." Ratchet said over the comms.

Clank sounded surprised, "You are using the RYNO?!"

Ratchet pushed it aside, "Clank this isn't the time."

He continued firing in the air, taking out numerous amounts of enemy ships. Ratchet saw the main ship move below the cloud cover. It was huge beyond belief. As Ratchet continued firing, he noticed the unknown ships leaving the area.

"Tal, what's going on? The ships are leaving." Ratchet asked as he released the trigger.

Talwyn had no clue what was happening, "I don't know, but be ready for something."

Ratchet nodded, "Got it", He then de morphed the X and put it away.

Suddenly, an unknown ship flew over him. Ratchet looked up and saw a dark figure falling towards him.

"Oh shi..." Ratchet was knocked to the ground as the figure landed right on top of him.

"You Lombax scum!" The figure said as he stood on top of Ratchet.

Ratchet then pushed the figure off and pulled out his Constructo Pistol.

"Who the hell are you!?" Ratchet yelled.

The figure didn't answer. The man was wearing a purple suit of armor and helmet. The being then pulled out two blades from his side holsters.

Ratchet chuckled, "You really have no idea who you're messing with."

He pulled the trigger and sent the electrified balls of energy at the armored being. The man quickly jumped out of the way and ran for Ratchet. He slashed at him, but Ratchet dodged each slash. Ratchet jumped back and pulled out his Plasma Whip. The two faced each other as the Whip moved around slowly.

"Leave or I WILL kill you!" Ratchet said in a serious tone.

The man just shook his head.

Ratchet shrugged and flailed the whip around. He swung side to side and sent out waves of energy towards the man. He hit him twice and knocked him to the ground. Ratchet then pulled out his Omni Wrench and ran for the man. He swung at the downed body and hit him several times. Suddenly, the man kicked Ratchet into the air and caught him, and then throwing him to the ground with great force.

The man then raised his arms. Small, sharp blades popped out of his arms. The blades were the shape of a sharks fin but much shorter for more arm mobility when attacking.

"Time to die, Lombax" The man said as he brought his arm down to Ratchet face.

Ratchet moved his head out of the way in the nick of time. However, he was scrapped badly and the Hyperflux helmet cracked. Ratchet then caught the man's hand, holding back the arm blade.

"Who the hell are you!?" Ratchet yelled as he pushed the hand back.

The masked man stayed silent. Ratchet then got his legs on the man's chest and pushed with great force. Ratchet jumped back on his feet and pulled out his Blaster. The man ran for Ratchet. Ratchet held the Blaster up and aimed it at the being.

"Time to die" Ratchet said as he fired multiple bullets at the man. He fell to the ground as Ratchet landed several hits.

Ratchet lowered the gun and slowly walked over to the body. He didn't know if this enemy was faking it or really was dead. As Ratchet neared the body, he aimed it at the beings head. When he reached the body, he fired a single bullet into the man's head.

He looked up and saw the enormous ship fling over the stronghold.

Tal came over the comms, "Ratchet, all the ships left the area and the troops that were going down moved back into the ship."

As Ratchet was watching the immense ship, a large hatch on the underside opened up. Out came a cylindrical triangle with a large blue ball of energy at the tip.

"Oh no" he said, "Tal, Clank, get out of here now!"

Clank came back, "The energy readings are off the charts!"

Tal cut in, "Is that an Ion Bomb?!"

Ratchet shook his head, "Clank, what in the hell is that thing!"

Clank was unsure, "I do not know. But it appears it is connected to the ship in some way."

Ratchet then pulled out the Alpha Disruptor. A large rifle shaped cannon capable a firing a single beam of concentrated dark energy. The device only had the power for one shot, since it was so damn powerful.

"Ratchet, what are you doing?" Clank asked.

"That thing is connected to the ship. If I shoot it, the ship should go down from back fire." Ratchet said as he aimed the cannon at the large ship.

The ball of energy started to grow larger and larger as it moved closer and closer to the stronghold.

Clank quickly replied, "Ratchet it is too dangerous."

Ratchet shook his head, "It's the only way I can stop that thing from destroying us."

He then pulled the trigger, charging the cannon. Usually, the cannon could take a half charged shot easily, but a fully charged shot was incredibly risky, for it could overload the weapon, causing an explosion.

As the weapon reached full charge, Ratchet whispered, "Nighty night you crazy sons of bi…"

The cannon then fired its enormous beam of dark energy. The weapon was charged fully, so the blast was loud and incredibly immense. The blast of dark energy was so powerful that Ratchet was knocked back all the way to the wall of the stronghold. He hit the wall with great force and watched as the war ship was torn in half by the dark energy beam. He looked down at the Disruptor and watched as it fell apart seamlessly. He rested his head back against the wall and took a deep breath.

"That was too much" he said silently. He then started to lose consciousness. The exposure to the beam caused him to fell woozy and sick. His armor was also torn apart. The helmet was missing half of the plate and the body looked like tattered fabric.

Suddenly, a figure jumped over the wall and landed in front of Ratchet. He watched as the hooded figure kneeled, but as soon as it did so, Ratchet lost consciousness.

The hooded being removed the hood and looked at Ratchet. Angela called from behind the wall, "Is he fine?"

The man yelled back, "He looks pretty bad."

He then whispered to himself, "I can't believe there's another one of us in the galaxy."

_To Be Continued…_

_Hey guys, if you're following the blog, then you may know that this book could get cancelled. The main reason is school. I received so many difficult classes that give a lot of work. For now, the book will continue, but I will write in short chunks. _

_Sorry for a rough chapter. I get it was a bit fast and short. I promise to try harder for the next chapter. _

_Until next time…_


	3. Chapter 3: Taking Action

_Another chapter… let's roll!_

**Chapter 3: Taking Action **

Ratchet was still out cold. Angela watched as three men looked over his body. Max walked up behind her.

"He'll be fine." He said.

Angela shook her head, "He shouldn't have come. I didn't intend for the signal to reach him."

Max put his hand on her shoulder, "You did put the Lombax universal signature in the signal."

Angela nodded, "It could have attracted the authorities." She shook her head again, "I'm just glad he came when he did."

Max chuckled, "He has quite the arsenal at his side."

Angela chuckled back, "I guess the companies let him keep the guns."

Max chuckled and walked away.

Talwyn and Clank sat in the main room. Max walked in and greeted the two.

"Hello darling" Max said.

Talwyn jumped to her feet and embraced her father in a hug. She hadn't seen him ever since he left her with Cronk and Zephyr when she was a child.

"I thought you were dead" she said as tears fell down her face.

Max embraced the hug, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you I was okay."

Clank got up from the couch, "Incredible"

Talwyn released her father and sniffled, "Oh Clank, this is my dad, Max Apogee."

Clank nodded, "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

As they were talking, Angela continued to watch over her friend as the three 'doctors' continued checking the body. After a minute of nothing, one of them walked over to her.

"How is he?" She asked.

The doctor nodded, "That blast of dark energy was a risky move." He cleared his throat, "He's lucky he was wearing the Hyperflux. If he had been wearing anything less advanced, he'd be dead."

Angela was relieved, "So he's alive?"

The doctor nodded, "He's well and completely unaffected by the energy. We're trying to get him awake now."

She felt a tear roll down her eye and wiped it away.

The doctor chuckled, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You spent years with Max looking for us before the Paletans did. That shows how much work you've done to save our race."

The doctor then removed his medical attire. He had glasses, a face mask, and helmet to protect him. The doctor was a white and silver Lombax. He had white fur with silver stripes.

"Thank you, Neal." Angela said.

Suddenly one of the other doctors called out, "We have movement."

Neal then rushed back and helped the other two. Ratchet was now moving slightly and moaning.

"Ratchet" Neal said, "Can you hear me?"

Ratchet slowly opened his eyes and coughed. His vision was blurry. All he saw was a bright light and three blurred figures in his sight.

"Where… am I?" He asked.

Neal smiled under his mask, "You're with your kind."

Ratchet shook his head and regained his vision. He saw the three doctors and was a bit startled.

"Who are you people?" He said softly.

The three doctors then removed their masks and helmets, revealing their identity.

Ratchet was stunned, "What?" he said under his breath.

Neal walked up, "Welcome back, Ratchet."

Ratchet was still stunned to see three Lombax's standing in front of him; a white and grey Lombax, a brown and tan Lombax, and a yellow and brown Lombax. He couldn't believe his eyes.

Angela walked in and embraced Ratchet in a hug, "I'm so glad you're fine."

Ratchet embraced the hug, "I wasn't going to let my friend die."

Angela released Ratchet and wiped the tear from her face, "Not only me, you saved Max and the others."

Ratchet was a bit puzzled, "Others?"

Angela nodded, "They're in the basement hiding. I think you should see who's down there."

Ratchet then slowly got up and pressed a button on his chest. The Hyperflux armor teleported off of him and was replaced with his default Holoflux Armor. Angela led him into the main room, where the three doctors, Talwyn, Clank, and Max were sitting.

Talwyn shot up and hugged Ratchet, as well as placing a kiss on his lips.

"Don't do anything like that again." She said softly.

Ratchet embraced her as well.

"Neal" Angela said, "Open up the cover."

Neal nodded and walked over to the shelter door that was on the floor. He turned the handle and slowly lifted the door open. As soon as it was open, a dark grey Lombax popped his head out.

"Is it safe?" He asked.

Ratchet walked up, "It is"

The grey Lombax then went back down, "It's okay. The Paletans left." He then climbed out of the shelter and stood up.

Ratchet was stunned, "I can't believe it."

The grey Lombax looked at Ratchet, "You must be Ratchet." He spoke with a serious tone, "It is a pleasure to meet the savior of many galaxies."

Ratchet and the Lombax then shook hands.

"The name's Dante. I'm senior officer for the FLA." Dante told Ratchet.

Ratchet was confused, "FLA? What's that?"

Angela then signaled for Ratchet to take a seat.

Ratchet did so and watched as Dante sat as well.

"So what's this FLA thing?" Ratchet asked.

Angela spoke, "After you left Bogon, I wanted to start searching for the Lombax's. I started by looking for the Iris Supercomputer, but when I arrived there it was trashed."

Ratchet then scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah… that could have been me. I tried using it for the same purpose, but it ran out of its remaining power before I got an answer."

Angela gave him a stern look, "Anyway, when I arrived, I found Max overlooking the computer. I told him about my plan and he agreed to help me. We used Lombax books and old writing to determine hideout areas for Lombax's who moved on from Fastoon. Thankfully, Max had plenty of this and we quickly found three remaining Lombax's. From them, we obtained more writing that pointed to new planets. Eventually, we found more Lombax's left behind. They were spread everywhere in galaxies I had never heard of."

Ratchet shook his head, "Why didn't anyone come out and re assemble the race?"

Angela shrugged, "Ratchet, they were in galaxies so far apart. I was the only Lombax in Bogon and Azimuth was the only one in Polaris. These three galaxies just so happen to be close."

Ratchet nodded understandably, "So what's your plan?"

Angela stood up, "Well, we are currently being hunted by an alien race called the Paletans. Apparently they were hired by Tachyon to assist in the killing of the remaining Lombax's." She looked over to Max.

Max cleared his throat, "According to ancient text" Max said, "The Paletans had a great rivalry with the Lombax's. They didn't approve of their ways and therefore led an attack on them many, many years ago. The Lombaxs and Paletans both lived on Fastoon during this era. After a great war, the Lombaxs achieved victory and pushed the now reduced race back to their land. Years later, when planetary travel was becoming available, they had another fight. The Lombax's still achieved victory, but this time drove the Paletans off of Fastoon." He cleared his throat once more, "After that, the Paletans decided to leave the Lombaxs be. However, years afterwards, Tachyon went to them for assistance. He told them about the Cragmite obliteration by the Lombaxs. He offered them full use of the technology he was to obtain from the Lombaxs. Like any vengeful species, they took the offer and waited for Tachyon to return. Once he did, he informed them of the destruction of Fastoon and changed the deal. He then offered them a job of hunting down the remaining Lombax's. Tachyon, however, would focus on Polaris."

Ratchet cut in, "That's how he found me."

Max nodded, "You were a bump in the road. Tachyon did not intend to find you in Polaris. In fact, he didn't intend to find the son of Kaden at all. But when he found out of your existence, he made it priority to find you. Anyway, after Tachyon was killed, the Paletans quickly received word and spread the search to Polaris, Solana, and Bogon, determined to continue Tachyons work."

Ratchet chuckled, "You're plan has a little kink. You have the Lombax's all in one spot. This makes it easier for the Paletans."

Angela nodded and sighed, "Yeah that we knew about. I brought them here because we would be safe. But they found us and destroyed our only transport."

Ratchet walked over to the open shelter and looked inside, he found many Lombax's sitting and talking to each other.

"How many have you saved?" he asked.

Angela shrugged, "About two hundred. The shelter is divided into three sub level floors."

He nodded, "So you're trying to eliminate these Paletans?"

Angela nodded, "Yeah, but we don't have the firepower or the numbers."

Ratchet looked over to her, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

Angela smiled, "I do"

Ratchet then extended his hand; a handle teleported on it. He grasped it and it morphed into the Gadgetron Devastator. He grabbed the secondary handle when it appeared.

"I have an arsenal with me from three weapon manufactures. Each one has granted me use of their top secret Omega Weapons." Ratchet said, "If there's one thing in know about Lombaxs, it's their love of inventing weapons and gadgets. If my knowledge serves me right, almost all Lombaxs knew how to operate weaponry."

Max nodded, "We have a small arsenal consisting of low tech Megacorp weapons. We were lucky to even obtain these fossils."

Ratchet smiled, "With me, I can get us ships, I can get us weapons, and I can even get us armor."

Tal stood up, "Ratchet, are you saying you want to go after these things?"

He looked at her, "That's right. The Paletans aren't going to give up. They'll just keep coming until we're gone."

Clank cut in, "I believe Sasha can assist us. She can lend us some Galactic Rangers and the Phoenix."

Ratchet nodded, "See, we already have a strong force to back us up."

Ratchet then contacted Sasha.

"This is President Sasha" She quickly answered.

Ratchet spoke loudly, "Hey Sasha, its Ratchet."

She sounded surprised, "Ratchet! How have you been?"

He chuckled, "An emotional roller coaster."

Sasha now sounded worried, "Why's that?"

Ratchet paused, "Do you think you can do me a huge favor? When I say huge, I mean HUGE."

Sasha didn't sound pleased, "Depends"

He chuckled, "I need to borrow the Starship Phoenix for a command center for the FLA. I also need a large amount of Galactic Rangers."

Sasha was appalled, "What?"

He tried reasoning, "Listen Sasha, I just found one of the only other Lombax's in the universe. It turns out that she, my friend whom I thought was dead, had been traveling the universe and saving Lombaxs from Tachyon. There were numerous left after the ones on Fastoon escaped. I need the Phoenix to house our current numbers, which are about two hundred, and the Galactic Rangers to assist our fighting force against our predators."

Sasha seemed interested, "Predators?"

"Yes, Tachyon hired an ancient rival of the Lombax's to hunt down those that didn't escape. Angela, the friend I found, has rescued two hundred Lombax's." Ratchet explained.

Sasha was quiet for a moment and spoke again, "Fine, the Phoenix is under your control. I'll also assign Battalion 124 to 156 to assist in this. I can't have the authorities do anything since this is something the rangers can only do."

Ratchet smiled, "Great, I've had some great battles with these guys."

Sasha chuckled, "You and those troops were the main reason we won against Nefarious."

Ratchet chuckled back, "Thanks Sasha. Send the Phoenix to these coordinates I'm sending you."

After Ratchet sent the coordinates, Sasha gave a slight gasp and chuckled, "The Phoenix should arrive tomorrow. The Rangers need to load up and prep."

Ratchet smiled, "Thanks Sasha" he then walked back inside, "Looks like we've got an army to help us out."

He walked over to the open shelter, "I need everyone who is skilled with heavy and medium weaponry. Spread this to the lower levels."

Ratchet then walked back outside. He stopped and contacted the Gadgetron Help Desk.

"Greetings client 91802, how may I be of service?" The female voice asked.

Ratchet cracked his neck, "I need to have my complete arsenal teleported to my location. This includes previous generation weapons and recent ones."

The female voice replied, "Right away, the weapons will arrive via weapon crates. A total of 49 weapons are being teleported. Thank you for using the Gadgetron Delivery Service where our motto is 'need a gun? Let's have some fun!"

Ratchet chuckled at the last words and awaited the delivery crates. Suddenly, a blue light emitted from above. Five crates dropped and landed in front of Ratchet. The crates scanned him and opened up, revealing Ratchet's hefty Gadgetron arsenal. His Gold Guns and his Ultra Guns were present. Along with the Gadgetron weapons, he also had the Vox Weapons. Gadgetron offered to store the illegal guns for Ratchet. After the crates opened, he turned around and saw the Lombax's watching.

Ratchet spread his arms, "Our arsenal" He said, "Hold on…" he said, "…how many of you are there?"

Angela came out of the group, "124, I think."

Ratchet slowly nodded, "One second"

He then contacted Mr. Fizzwidget.

"Yellow" The Megacorp boss answered.

"Mr. Fizzwidget!" Ratchet said.

The man was surprised, "Ratchet, how've ya been ma' boy?"

Ratchet chuckled. He enjoyed the man's attitude towards life; he was always jolly and nice to his customers.

"I've been doing great, sir. Listen, I need you to do me a favor." Ratchet said.

Fizzwidget sounded pleased, "Of course son, what do ya need?"

"I need you to send me my entire arsenal." Ratchet said.

Fizzwidget still sounded pleased, "Absolutely, I'll have them beamed to your location in not time."

"Thanks, sir." Ratchet said as he ended the comm line. He then turned around, "More guns!"

The Lombaxs all chuckled.

Suddenly, another blue light appeared. Four crates dropped and landed beside the Gadgetron crates. The Megacorp crates opened and revealed Ratchet's 35 Ultra Weapon arsenal.

He then contacted GrummelNet.

"How ya doin chief?" The vendor quickly replied.

"Hey, I need my arsenal beamed to me pronto." Ratchet said.

The vendor chuckled, "Sounds like someone's about to have a bad day. Do you want the Omega Class?"

Ratchet nodded, "That's right, I've got a huge problem on my hands, and I need to suit up my friends."

The vendor laughed, "Oh boy, I can only imagine the face on the guys you're about to mess with." He paused, "There you go chief; the weapons should be there shortly."

A blue light emitted from above and dropped four crates. They opened and revealed the GrummelNet arsenal, consisting of 40 Ultra Weapons.

Ratchet then contacted GrummelNet once more, "What's the matter chief? Did the weapons get through?"

Ratchet nodded, "No they did. I just need a new favor."

The vendor nodded, "What do ya need?"

"How many Hyperflux Armor suits are available?" He asked.

The vendor paused, "We have 75 in stock."

Ratchet nodded, "I'll take them all."

The vendor sounded shocked, "Really?"

Ratchet chuckled, "And I need to know how many Thermaflux suits are available as well."

The vendor paused again, "430"

Ratchet nodded, "I need 49 of them."

The vendor nodded back, "Alright chief, let me just calculate the total…"

Ratchet nodded.

"Ah" the vendor said, "your total is 21,200,000 bolts."

Ratchet nodded, "Send em to my location."

Suddenly, three more crates teleported in front of Ratchet.

He turned around, "I need those who have Heavy Weapon skills."

Sixty Lombaxs stepped forward.

"Line up" Ratchet said, "Time to get your armor."

The Lombax's did so and lined up. Ratchet gave each one a small device. The device attached to their chests. When pressed, it would scan their bodies and activated the Hyperflux armor. When Ratchet gave the final Hyperflux, he handed the remaining Lombax's the Thermaflux Armor device.

"Scan your bodies and activate your suits. They go on your chest, whenever you need it just hit the button and the suit will beam on. The scanner will fit the armor to you and also give you the guy or girl version depending on if you're, well, a guy or girl. Once you do it, come up to me and I'll hand you a weapon." Ratchet said loudly.

The Lombax's did so. Angela walked up to him, "So you think we can stop these guys?

Ratchet smiled and laughed, "We have Ultra and Gold Weapons at our side. On top of that, we have the Rangers. I'm sure we can easily stop the Paletans."

A few Lombax's then came forward wearing the Hyperflux armor.

Ratchet nodded, "Great! Now let's get you guys some guns."

He walked over to the Gadgetron crate. Handles with labels above them indicated the weapon. He grabbed the Annihilator handle and handed to a Lombax.

"Just press the button on the handle and it will morph into the weapon." He explained.

The Lombax did so and activated the large rocket launcher, "Hell yeah" he said.

Ratchet then continued handing off heavy weapons to the Hyperflux wearers. Once the Thermaflux wearers came up, he handed them the medium and light weapons. After he handed the Lombaxs their guns, he spoke up.

"Alright! Now that we all have our armor and guns, we need to wait for the Phoenix. If the Paletans decide to send some troops, so be it. The armor is capable of deflecting damage and also injects Nanotech into you. With this, you can survive a lot of hits from weapons and still carry on as if nothing happened." Ratchet explained, "The guns you are all holding are the best the companies have to offer. They have been Ultra, Omega, and Gold upgraded by me. Our attacks should play out simple. The ones with Hyperflux will be front lines; they have the biggest weapons and the best armor. The medium and Thermaflux will be secondary, the Thermaflux and light guns will be back. Sorry for the smaller guns, it's all that was available."

Ratchet then turned back and pressed a button on all the crates. The remaining weapons then teleported into Ratchet's armor data. He could access them via the data to physical port.

"The guns should beam into your armor as data. Whenever you need it, the handle will beam into your hand and morph into the weapon." He paused, "Any questions?"

A single Lombax raised her hand, "Do we know where the Paletans are?"

Ratchet shook his head, "When we get into the Phoenix, we'll start planning out our attacks in detail. But for now, we are armored and ready in case they come back." He paused, "Put away the guns and head back inside."

The Lombaxs then put the guns away into the armor data and headed back inside and in the shelter. Ratchet followed afterwards and met with Talwyn. She was wearing the Female Thermaflux armor.

"This is a pretty sweet piece." She said.

Ratchet chuckled as the two walked back inside.

Angela walked up, "So when is the Phoenix arriving?"

"It should be here tomorrow." Ratchet replied.

He then plopped down on the couch and sighed, "I hope these guys can pull through."

_To be Continued_

_That was a pretty good chapter. I am having a great time thinking this through, in fact I have a pretty good plot made for this now, however the unknown cancellation is still pending. If school gets out of hand then I will have no choice but to end this book for good. But I don't see that happening for some time. _

_Leave a review and tell me what you thought. Be sure to follow the book if you like it and follow me if you like my work. _

_To my returning readers with no Ratchet and Clank knowledge; if you can't imagine the weapons, look them up. Most are bizarre looking and others are huge. I won't use detail on most of the weapons, only a few would be mentioned. _

_Until next time…_


	4. Chapter 4: The New Plan

_And another chapter starts! I'm glad that I can continue the book, school is pretty bad, but I think I can find some days where I can work on the book (specifically weekends). Anyway…_

_On with the book…_

**Chapter 4: The New Plan**

_ Ratchet and the others had no choice but to spend the night. The Phoenix would be arriving the next day. Four groups of Lombax's were given patrol hours in case of an attack. Ratchet, whom was asleep on the couch, continued to worry; he finally found his race, and now he wasn't going to let anything happen to them. _

Ratchet awoke suddenly on the couch he had slept on. He was panting deeply as cold sweat ran down his face. Talwyn, whom was beside him, awoke to the sound of Ratchet's breathing.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

Ratchet shook his head slowly as he continued breathing heavily, "Nothing, it was just…" he paused, "…just a bad dream."

Talwyn yawned, "You must be overthinking this whole thing. I'm sure we'll be able to handle these guys."

Ratchet looked over at her, "Yeah… I guess you're right. I just don't want to be left alone again. Ever since I first learned of my past, I became so emotionally attached to it. I just can't think about being the only Lombax again."

Talwyn sat up and wrapped her arms around Ratchet, "I how it feels to be alone Ratchet. My father left when I was young and didn't return. I just now found him alive after years of not knowing his whereabouts."

Ratchet just shook his head.

Suddenly, a Lombax guard wearing the Thermaflux Armor walked in the front door, "Is something wrong? I heard some noises."

Ratchet looked up at him, "No it's fine."

The Lombax nodded and went back outside.

Ratchet sighed and stood up. He stretched and yawned as he walked over to the door. Talwyn watched as he walked out.

Ratchet, now shivering from the cold, looked up at the sky. He saw the two neighboring moons and nearby planet along with very little cloud cover. One of the Lombax guards walked up to him.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" He asked.

Ratchet nodded, "Yeah, it's amazing with all this snow and ice."

The guard removed the Thermaflux helmet. He was a dark grey Lombax with dark maroon stripes; he also had a scar on his left eye.

"So you think this ship will help us?" He asked.

Ratchet shrugged, "I hope so. That ship I shot down was enormous. I don't think it was the only one either."

The guard sighed, "This enemy is quite the bother. I was actually found by them right when Angela and Max got to me."

Ratchet looked over to the guard, "Really?"

The guard smiled and nodded, "Yeah, they sent down three small transports to my home. Max, Angela, and I opened fire on them and escaped before the main ship could reach the planet."

Ratchet shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe Tachyon would go as far as hiring another race to eliminate the Lombax's. I swear that little freak is so psychotic."

The guard laughed, "Ah, but you killed him and he can't assist this race. That's a good start especially since you stopped his entire army singlehandedly."

Ratchet smiled, "That's true, but I also didn't have to worry about a hundred other people. That's also why I'm so nervous about this."

The Lombax nodded, "I agree, commanding this army of Lombax's and the troopers will be difficult. But I'm sure you, Angela, Max, and Ms. Apogee will do fine. Plus you gave us an incredible arsenal."

Ratchet chuckled, "The best weapons ever made."

The guard patted Ratchet's shoulder, "See? We'll pull through."

"What's your name, trooper?" Ratchet asked.

The Lombax nodded, "My name is Dylan Davis."

Ratchet's comm unit then started to bleep. He answered the call.

"Hey, sir. Long time to see!" A robotic toned voice said.

Ratchet saw the Galactic Troop along with two other troopers. The Troopers were identical, robotic, human like soldiers. They were green and had arm cannons for a weapon on one arm. Their heads were placed on the front of a hunch.

"Hey J-31, H-26, and F-7; how you guys been?" Ratchet asked as he saw the familiar troopers.

J-31 spoke up, "Oh you know, the usual. Fighting off pirates and protecting Solana." J-31 had a nervous like tone whenever he spoke.

Ratchet chuckled, "I hope you guys still remember your training when I fought with you."

The three nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good, since you guys are under my command, we won't have any help from Sasha or the Commanders." Ratchet said.

H-26 shook his head, "Actually, we have access to a backup garrison of troops in case this new enemy is bigger than we thought." He had a more serious tone when he spoke.

Ratchet smiled, "Oh, good. I don't think we'll need them but keep them on stand-by just in case."

H-26 saluted and went off screen.

"Sir" J-31 said, "Is it true that you have Lombax troops with you?"

Ratchet shook his head, "I don't think it's a good idea talking about it over the comm."

J-31 nodded in agreement, "Yes sir, we'll talk when the Phoenix arrives."

Ratchet then ended the comm line.

The guard looked at him, "You know those three?"

Ratchet nodded and smiled, "They were the three Troopers who assisted me during the missions against the Tyrannoids. I'm glad they made it through the war, they were great fighters."

Clank then came out from the house, "Ratchet" he said, "I just received a message saying the Phoenix was a few minutes from being in orbit. H-26 wants us ready to transport as soon as they are in orbit."

Ratchet nodded, "Time to wake everyone up." He looked at the guard, "Get the other four and tell them to get ready."

The guard nodded, "Yes sir."

Ratchet then headed back inside. He went over to the bunker and opened it up.

"Everybody up! We have a few minutes to be ready. Anyone with armor; have it on and ready. Meet outside when you're done." Ratchet said.

He then walked over to Talwyn, "Hey" he said softly, "we have to get ready. The Phoenix is a few minutes out."

Talwyn awoke, "Okay, I'll get my gear ready." She had a tired look on her face.

Ratchet then activated his Lombax Trillium Armor. His data belt contained the damaged Hyperflux Armor, the Lombax Trillium Armor, and the Gadgetron Infernox Armor. The belt was a one of kind; Gadgetron was the only company that could master data transfer with physical armor. Not only that, but the belt was upgraded to hold more than one suit of armor.

He went out and was met by the five guards.

"Sir, is everyone ready?" One asked.

Ratchet looked over at them, "Not yet, they're all getting ready now. It shouldn't be long."

Clank then came outside, "Angela and Max need you, Ratchet."

Ratchet nodded and walked back inside to the kitchen area. Angela, Max, and Talwyn were standing at the table.

Angela spoke up, "Clank says the Phoenix is a few minutes out and that they want us ready to move."

Ratchet nodded, "That's right, I told everyone to meet outside so we can head into the transport quickly."

Max shook his head, "I don't think that's such a grand idea. What if there's someone out there waiting?"

Angela sighed, "Max has a point. I don't think waiting out in the open is a good plan."

Ratchet rubbed his forehead and started to feel stupid. But as he was grieving on his ignorance, he came up with a better plan, "How about this? We have a group of armed Lombaxs run to the transport with the unarmed Lombaxs. They will be the first to get on, after that everyone else boards. If someone's out there watching us, the armored Lombaxs should be safe from an attack."

Angela shrugged and looked at Max, "I don't see how that's a bad idea." She looked back at Ratchet, "Go up in your ship and scan the area for anything odd. I want to be sure this plan can work out."

Ratchet nodded, "Fine, have everyone gather in the main room."

He then walked out. The cold air didn't faze him since he was wearing the armor, but he still took in the sight. As he finished, he called for Aphelion. The ship was still unable to speak due to the virus upload. When Aphelion arrived, Ratchet jumped in and took off to a high altitude. He, being the most afflicted by the major discovery, did not want anything to go awry.

"Let see what we got." Ratchet said as he activated the Bio Scanners.

Ratchet started the scan and watched the screen closely. The only thing that popped up was a few blips a mile away from the stronghold. Taking no chances, Ratchet immediately flew over to the area with Aphelion's weapons on stand-by.

"What's out here?" He asked himself.

Ratchet looked down and saw only a group of the indigenous animals, the snow beasts. They resembled the abominable snow man but were more burley and were much more vicious.

"God I hate those things." He said.

Seeing nothing wrong with the area, Ratchet flew back towards the stronghold. He was pleased with the outcome, yet still had an odd feeling about the evacuation.

He sighed, "Keep it together, Ratchet" He said to himself, "Nothing bad is going to happen. This is just another enemy."

llllll

As Ratchet was flying back, the group of snow beasts dispersed. As soon as they did, a being that was lying on the floor revealed itself.

The man took off a white blanket. He then started to dig through the snow right in front of him. As he did, he watched Ratchet fly back to the stronghold.

Angela's place was located on the side of a small hill. The hill was in the middle of a large flatland of nothing but snow and ice. The being was on a large hill about a mile out and could see the stronghold entirely.

The man finished digging and uncovered his weapon, a large rifle-like weapon with a scope and long barrel. He raised it and looked down the attachment.

"Someone needs to fix their scanners" the man said in a deep voice. He then spoke a little louder, "Sir, Ratchet did not detect me. It's only a matter of time until they move out."

A voice, deeper than the man's, spoke, "Excellent, you are doing far better than I first imagined."

The being chuckled

"However I still do not trust you. Your record doesn't appeal to me at all, Delton. So to make sure you get the job done, do not return without the blood of a Lombax. I want at least one dead, I do not expect you to eliminate them all." The voice explained, "And to make sure you do not lie when you return, the scope on the rifle you are using is a high powered digital scope. A picture will be taken whenever you fire. Pray that a Lombax is at least falling to the ground in one of your pictures."

Delton just shook his head, "I'll do you one better. Don't worry sir, I'll get it done."

The voice sounded pleased, "Good, don't disappoint me."

The comm line was then cut.

Delton shook his head once more, "What an asshole."

llllll

Back in the base, Ratchet, Angela, and Max gathered the Lombaxs in the main room.

Angela spoke loudly, "The transport is on its way right now. When it arrives we will have the unarmed Lombaxs escorted by an armed group. We don't want any surprises, so this is a quick and clean escape."

Ratchet then spoke up, "The ship should actually be here any second." He walked for the door, "Angela, can you get them separated while I flag the transport down?"

Angela nodded and went to work.

Ratchet walked outside and saw the three guards waiting.

"Okay, you three, if I recall, were given the sniper rifle weapons." Ratchet said.

They nodded, "yes sir"

One of them spoke up, "Splitter Rifle, Anti-Matter Rifle, and the Vaporizer."

"Okay, I want you to get to the top of the building and get a vantage point. Use the snipers to find anything unusual and to provide cover in case something happens." Ratchet explained.

The guards nodded and headed up to the roof.

"Yell if you see enemy troops or ships." Ratchet yelled up.

He then looked up to the sky and quickly spotted the Starship Phoenix. It was high in the atmosphere and was stationary. Ratchet walked back inside and found the Lombaxs waiting.

"The Phoenix is here." He said.

The Lombaxs all stood up.

"I want the unarmed standing near the door." Ratchet said. He then started to point out, "You, you, you, you, you, you, and you; you guys will run them to the transport. Once the unarmed are in, everyone else run for the transport."

All the Lombaxs then activated their armor and awaited orders.

Ratchet poked his head out and watched for the transport.

One of the guards from above yelled down, "Unknown ship approaching."

Ratchet spotted it quickly, "Hold your fire, it's the transport."

He then looked back inside.

Angela walked up to him, "Is it ready?"

Ratchet then looked back outside and saw the transport land. The large bay door then opened. A trooper was waiting inside.

"Sir!" The trooper yelled, "Let's move before the Phoenix is detected!"

Ratchet nodded and looked back inside, "Alright you guys ready?"

llllll

Delton watched as Ratchet continued to move in and out of the door. He readied to fire when they started to move.

"Come on already, move to your transport." He said to himself.

He started to breathe slowly. The digital scope focused on the front door.

The transport was not the same as the one used during the Tyranoid invasion. It was a much different design. It was large and separated in two decks. The wing span was long and two engines occupied both wings. Unlike the last ship, the door was located on the back, rather than the front.

Ratchet made a quick scan of the area and grabbed the other part of the door. They opened outward.

The guards then pulled out their weapons and pointed it at the doors.

"One… two…" Ratchet yelled.

Everyone braced themselves to sprint.

He then threw the other door open, "Three!"

Ratchet then started to run for the transport with the guards close behind. Everyone had their weapons pointed in a different direction.

llllll

Delton saw his chance, "Perfect"

He placed the reticle on one of the unarmed Lombaxs. He led it slightly and pulled the trigger, sending a bolt of blue energy speeding for the Lombax.

As they were running, a guard from behind yelled and feel to the ground. The bolt missed the unarmed Lombax and hit the guard instead.

Ratchet turned back, "Crap!" the guards and unarmed Lombaxs continued running for the transport. "I'll get him, keep going!"

Ratchet then ran back to where the guard was laying. He pulled out his Constructo Pistol and kneeled down next to him.

"Get up, we have to move!" Ratchet said.

The guard slowly got up to his feet, "Damn it, there's a sniper." He said weakly.

Ratchet then threw his arm around the guard and helped him walk quickly to the transport.

llllll

Delton watched the two, "I don't think so"

He pulled the trigger once more. The bolt barely missed Ratchet and the guard.

"Come on now" He said.

He fired once more and hit the guard in the leg.

llllll

"DAMN IT!" The guard yelled in pain as he fell to the guard.

Five guards ran out of the transport and assisted the fallen Lombax. They all grabbed him and ran for the transport. Ratchet ran closely behind them. Ratchet then pulled out his N90 Hurricane and started to fire in the direction of the bolt. He unleashed a barrage of yellow energy as he yelled, "Everyone, GO!"

One of the snipers yelled out, "I have a visual on the target! West side hill!" The four snipers then started to fire in the direction along with Ratchet.

llllll

Several bolts of energy zoomed past Delton. One nearly hit him.

"Damn, how the hell did they see me?" Delton said as he got up to his feet quickly. As he got up, he fired at one of the snipers blindly and missed.

"Sir, I've been compromised!" He yelled into his communicator.

The voice was aggravated, "DAMN IT DELTON! Return to base immediately!"

"Yes sir" Delton said as he made his way to his concealed ship.

llllll

Ratchet looked back and saw the rest of the Lombaxs running for the transport. He continued firing as he saw Talwyn, Clank, Max and Angela safely board. Once they did, he stopped firing and signaled for the snipers.

"Go! I'll cover you!" Ratchet yelled.

The three snipers then jumped down from the roof and started to sprint for the transport. Ratchet ceased firing and followed them into the ship.

"Get us out of here trooper!" He yelled as he entered the cockpit, "Aphelion, head for the Phoenix and dock with it when you get there." He said into his comm.

The transport then took off into the air and the bay door closed. When they were a few hundred feet high, Delton started to trail them.

"What the hell?" Ratchet said as he saw it on radar.

"Sir, an unknown ship is trailing us. Head back there and take it out!" The trooper said.

Ratchet ran back down to the bay and opened the main door. He pulled out his N90 Hurricane and waited for the door to open.

"Sir! What are you doing?!" One of the Lombaxs yelled over the sound of rushing air.

"Hyperflux Armor bearers, help me!" Ratchet yelled.

The few Lombaxs got up and pulled out their weapons.

"A ship is trailing us, try to shoot it down!" Ratchet yelled.

The door opened up completely and revealed the enemy ship.

llllll

"Stupid idea to open up." Delton said.

He fired upon the ship and landed several hits. However the shield protected the inside of the bay from the lasers.

llllll

"Take him out!" Ratchet yelled.

He pulled the trigger and fired the yellow energy blasts at the ship.

The other Lombaxs did so as well with their weapons. A huge array of lasers, missiles, and blasts erupted towards the ship.

llllll

"Son of a bitch!" Delton yelled as he swerved to dodge the lasers.

Ratchet and the other Lombaxs continued firing. The guard with the Annihilator, however, landed a direct hit followed by another hit from the Lombax using the Arbiter. The enemy ship, now losing control, was being hit repeatedly from the weapons firing upon it.

"Keep going!" Ratchet yelled.

llllll

Alarms started to blare as Delton was being hit.

"This is Brigadier General Delton, I'm going down, I repeat I'm going down!" He yelled into the comm line.

"Son of bitch, Delton! You pathetic excuse of a Paletan!" The voice yelled.

llllll

Ratchet and the others ceased firing when the ships started to flame and spiral towards the ground.

"Hell yeah!" One of the Lombaxs yelled.

Ratchet smiled and exhaled a breath of relief, "Good job guys"

He watched as the ship hit the ground below. When it did, he pressed the close button on the wall and shut the large doors.

"Go on back with the others. We'll be landing in the Phoenix soon." Ratchet said as he headed back up to the cockpit.

The trooper saw Ratchet, "Great shooting sir. The ship disappeared on radar when it hit the ground. That thing is toast."

Ratchet nodded and deactivated his helmet.

llllll

Delton crawled out of the ships wreckage. He had a gash on his leg and major bruising on his head.

"Fffff…" he said in pain.

"Delton, do you read me?" The same voice said.

Delton could hardly speak, "Yes… argh… sir"

The voice sighed, "A rescue team is en route to your position. Pray that you at least did what I told you." He said sinisterly.

"Ay sir" Delton said as he covered his gash on his leg. "God damn it!" He yelled from pain.

He was breathing heavily, "Those Lombaxs will pay!"

_To Be Continued…_

_Oh god, finally! I finally posted another chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long. School and GTA V really don't mix well together when writing a book. I promise though, the extra time will lead to better chapters with more detail and story to it. _

_Don't forget about the blog, I post updates daily at _www. sciencefictionworks. webstarts. com_ (no spaces)_

_Leave a review and tell me what you thought, it always helps and keeps me going at it. _

_Be sure to follow and favorite if you enjoyed, and follow me if you enjoy my works. _

_Until next time…_


	5. Chapter 5: The Hunt

_All updates so far are on the website_. www. sciencefictionstories. webstarts .com (no spaces)

_On with the story!_

**Chapter 5: The Hunt**

The transport docked with the Starship Phoenix unscathed from Delton. Ratchet and the other Lombaxs had successfully shot down the assailant and were now safe aboard the Phoenix. Angela, Ratchet, Clank, Max, and Talwyn split from the others and allowed the troopers to lead the Lombaxs to their living quarters. The five moved to the front of the ship and entered the main bridge.

Awaiting them was Sasha Phyronix, former commander of the Phoenix and former Mayor of Metropolis in Solana.

Ratchet was the most surprised, "Sasha! What are you doing here?" Not being in Solana ever since the first Nefarious incident, Ratchet didn't know much about his friend.

She chuckled at Ratchet's response, "I heard about how serious the situation was and thought I could help."

Ratchet shook his head, "But you're Mayor of Metropolis. Who's in charge?"

Sasha chuckled again, "My term ended a while ago, Ratchet. I'm an advisor to my father and I reclaimed command over the Phoenix."

Ratchet just shrugged satisfied with his answer, "Alright, good to have you aboard. In fact you can really help us out."

Talwyn stepped up, "We were just attacked by a concealed enemy while we tried to leave the planet. Ratchet and a few other Lombaxs likely killed the enemy after it was shot down on the way up."

Sasha nodded slowly, "Come into the war room, we can discuss everything there."

She then led the five into the side room. In it was a large round table with a blue grid on it and several computers along the circumference.

"Here" Sasha said as she pointed to the table, "So exactly what happened? Why are these people out to kill the remaining Lombaxs?"

Ratchet shrugged, "An ancient rivalry."

Sasha nodded.

Max spoke up, "The Lombaxs and the Paletans were allies at first. But as time went on, the two became distant. One day, the Paletans attacked the neighboring Lombax civilization. However the Lombaxs were more advanced and defeated the Paletans, forcing them further from the small civilization. This was back when they had just developed the first bullet and powder weapons. After hundreds upon hundreds of years with no fights or communication, interplanetary flight became available. The Paletans wanted one final hurrah and believed they had the better weapon technology. They were proved wrong once more and the Lombaxs defeated them, this time forcing them from Fastoon. The Lombaxs developed more new laser technology and advanced quickly, making weapons that even stand as useful today. The Paletans now have the upper hand in size and power as the remaining Lombaxs are hiding in their own dimension. They have ships and weapons that were far more advanced than what we used. They rivaled Lombax tech; with no such tech being left over, all we have are conventional weapons by various vendors. We scared them away from our base mainly because Ratchet owned a Lombax weapon." Max explained, "If Ratchet hadn't destroyed the immense battle ship that was attacking our base, we would have surely been killed. But now that we survived, they continue their hunt."

Sasha nodded, "Interesting" She sighed and started to type on the computer in front of where she was standing, "I took the liberty of researching this enemy myself. Surprisingly, I and the research officers found quite the intelligence. It's not much, but I say we can get more using this."

Ratchet stepped forward, "What is it?"

Sasha activated the grid on the table and projected a hologram. A large 3D model of an immense battleship was displayed along with models of other ships including transports, attack ships, and infantry fighters.

"I know this isn't everything, but it's a start." She said.

Angela looked at the models, "Do we have any base locations? An armada meet-up?" she asked.

Sasha nodded, "We do have a located base already. However it's near impossible to get to it."

Ratchet was confused, "Impossible? Is it heavily guarded or something?"

Sasha shook her head, "No, it's in a galaxy that isn't even charted by any of the three neighbors; Solana, Bogon, nor Polaris has coordinates to it or even know of it. Based on rumors, its inhabitants call it Andromeda. A further study, done by our team, show that it's a lonely galaxy with its two closest neighbors being 3 million light years away each."

Max spoke up, "Do we know if the Paletans have connections with its neighbors?"

Sasha shook her head, "No, but Polaris is the closest to Andromeda, about 450 million light years away. The Paletans seem to have no issue coming to and from Andromeda and Bogon, which is about 460 million light years."

Ratchet shook his head, "They're on the other side of the universe." He exclaimed, "So you're saying we need to go all the way to this new galaxy and stop them there?"

Sasha nodded, "That's about it. But we need to find a way to travel there. The Phoenix is state of the art and constantly updated, but it can't simply get the coordinates of this galaxy. What's needed is a completely new CPU from their ships. They obviously have this system mapped, so if we get a CPU from them, we can travel to Andromeda and stop them."

Talwyn cut in, "And how do we do that? We just killed and destroyed an enemy ship and we have no idea if there are more in any of the galaxies."

Sasha and the others started to think.

"Wait" Ratchet said as he suddenly thought up a plan, "You said we could have possibly killed the enemy. What if we didn't?"

Sasha gave Ratchet an odd look, "What are getting at?"

Ratchet looked at Sasha, "We go down and scout out the wreckage and hopefully find the pilot. If not, we can get intel from the ship, maybe even a CPU for the Phoenix."

Angela looked impressed, "I wouldn't have caught that. Nice going."

Ratchet smiled and shrugged, "I'm surprised I even caught it."

Clank spoke up, "The chances of the pilot surviving are not very good. But my calculations say it is possible."

Sasha nodded, "It's a good plan but a CPU from a regular fighter won't do any good for the Phoenix. We'll need to steal one from one of their battleships." She explained, "I'll get a squad of troopers waiting in the transport. You can go down and assist in the search and if they're ambushed."

Ratchet nodded, "Good for me" He looked down at Clank, "Let's go"

The two then exited and took the shuttle back to the docking bay. When the doors opened, the two found several lines of troopers waiting next to the transport.

"Wow, you guys are fast." Ratchet said as he walked down the steps.

J-31 was among them, "Glad to be going into battle with you again sir. I have with me some of the best scouts that we were given. Outfitted with the best battle gear, they should be able to locate the pilot and detain him in no time." He explained.

Ratchet nodded, "Nice"

Clank cut in, "Have they seen combat?"

One of the troopers spoke up, "Sir, all troopers have seen combat and are ready for anything."

Ratchet smirked and nodded, "Fair enough" He wasn't too content on going down with only troopers. Like Max said, Paletan technology rivaled Lombax technology. The only weapon left was the Alpha Disruptor and it was destroyed after the attack, "I think we'll need some help." He walked back to the living quarters and found the Lombaxs loafing around in the large room. Some were standing around and talking while others were sitting on the couches and talking.

"Sir" Dylan said as Ratchet entered. He was one of the Thermaflux bearers and a sniper, "Did anything come up while you were debriefing?"

Ratchet nodded, "Yes and I need all the Hyperflux to come with me."

Dylan turned around, "All Hyperflux follow Ratchet. You have a job."

A grey Lombax wearing the armor stepped forward; it was Neal, "What's wrong?"

The rest of the Hyperflux Lombaxs walked up to him as well, "We're going back down to the surface. That ship we shot down has a pilot that can help us. We already know where the main Paletan base is, but we can't get there. We need to go down and find the pilot, bring him back up, and then interrogate him."

The Lombaxs nodded simultaneously.

"Head to the transport." Ratchet ended. He watched the Lombaxs all run into the docking bay.

Neal stayed back, "So this pilot, you think he can help?"

Ratchet shrugged, "It's our only shot at finding where the Paletans are stationed in this galaxy." Ratchet then signaled for Dylan to come along.

"Yes sir?" Dylan asked.

Ratchet started to walk back with Neal, "You're coming along. I get that Hyperflux Armor is more reliable, but you caught the sniper when we evacuated. If the pilot escaped, you can probably spot him."

Dylan nodded and caught up with the two. He started to get a little nervous. He knew the Hyperflux was far more protected than the Thermaflux; after all, a guard was nearly killed from the Paletan sniper even in Thermaflux, yet he knew Ratchet trusted him and didn't want to let him down.

The three entered the transport along with the Lombaxs and Troopers. The pilot lifted off and flew back down to the planet. The Lombaxs sat on one side while the troopers sat on the other. Ratchet stopped in between them. He though a quick briefing would be needed.

"Okay, our mission is to head down to the wreckage and scout out the pilot. If nothing comes up within five minutes, we leave with components from the ship. The pilot could have died or escaped, wither way I know for a fact that he called in help. I want the troopers to guard the ship while the Lombaxs search the rubble."

The troopers nodded simultaneously, "Yes sir"

The Lombaxs then nodded as well.

Ratchet then walked back up to the cockpit. As they neared the surface, he could see the smoke from the wreckage in the distance. The ship slowly stopped and hovered about a few meters away. As it touched down, Ratchet walked back into the bay. The Troopers and Lombaxs readied to exit. The Lombaxs pulled their weapons out and the Troopers readied their cannons. Ratchet opened the bay door and everyone ran out into the snow. The Troopers immediately encircled the transport and stood their position.

"Don't worry about the ship, sir. My men have it under protection." J-31 said as he joined the formation.

Ratchet nodded and signaled the Lombaxs to follow him. As he started to run towards the wreckage he pulled out his Constructo Pistol outfitted with a fast trigger and blast barrel. As he was running, he activated his Trillium helmet.

The mess was enormous. Pieces of the ship were scattered around everywhere and flames covered the large chunks of metal and wings. Ratchet slowed to a stop in front of the larger piece. It appeared to be the cockpit.

He then looked around and found a hill that was right next to the wreckage. "Dylan" He called out.

Dylan was quick and ran to his side, "What's wrong?"

Ratchet pointed to the hill, "Get up on top and scan the area. The pilot could have gotten away."

Dylan nodded and ran up the side of the hill. Neal walked up to Ratchet.

"I hardly think that the pilot could survive something like this. There are pieces everywhere and some of them show signs of melting." He said.

Clank jumped off of Ratchet's back, "That is true. This pilot could have easily been vaporized."

Ratchet was intently looking at the scattered pieces of ship, "We're going against an enemy with technology that rivals that of the Lombaxs. We don't have access to Lombax tech except for my armor. I'm sure he survived."

Neal shrugged and went off to search through the rubble.

Ratchet started to move some pieces.

Clank spoke up, "Ratchet, the odds of finding this man are now slim. We would be incredibly lucky if he survived."

Just then, a Lombax called out.

"Sir!" He yelled.

Ratchet looked at Clank; "Come on" the two ran over, "What'd you find?" Ratchet asked.

The Lombax was standing over footprints, "A trail, could be from the pilot." the Lombax said as he pointed to the prints.

Clank was astounded, "He is alive?"

Ratchet looked up at the hill, "Dylan!" He yelled.

Dylan waved.

"Do you see these footprints?" Ratchet yelled as he pointed to the track.

Dylan looked through his Splitter Rifle scope and quickly found the footprints.

"Yeah!" He yelled back.

"Follow them, see where they lead! You'll find the pilot with them!" Ratchet yelled.

Dylan looked back through the scope and slowly followed the faint trail. As he moved his scope with the trail, it became harder and harder to see. Delton, the pilot, traversed so far that Dylan could hardly see the tracks at the angle he was at. However, as he reached his maximum zoom, he saw a very small being far off into the distance. It looked as though he were in the middle of the open with some hills around him.

Dylan became ecstatic "I have a visual!" He yelled, "I have a visual!"

Ratchet and the other Lombaxs jumped.

"Back to the ship! We got a Paletan to catch!" Ratchet yelled as the Lombaxs all sprinted back to the transport. Clank then jumped back onto Ratchet's back.

"We must hurry!" Clank said.

Neal took lead, "J-31, get everyone back in."

J-31 nodded, "Roger that. Let's move ladies!"

The troopers broke formation and ran back in the ship along with the Lombaxs. Ratchet sprinted into the ship as it took off and de activated his helmet.

"Trooper" he said as he entered the cockpit, "Fly us over to that dot. That's the pilot."

The ship then went into flight mode and zoomed over to the pilot. As they neared, they were able to make out the moving body.

lllllllllll

Delton had been walking for quite some time. He looked back and saw his tracks extending all the way back to the smoke. But as he was looking, he found a ship moving towards him.

"Oh thank gods." He said, "Took them long enough."

He had no clue that it was the Galactic Rangers. He started to wave them down.

lllllllllll

The trooper pointed at him, "Sir, he's waving."

Ratchet shook his head, "He's not expecting us. Don't land; I'm jumping down on him. And keep the ship so our sniper can have a beat on this guy."

The trooper nodded and switched the ship to hover mode.

"Neal" Ratchet said as he entered the loading bay, "Get your gun, we're jumping."

Ratchet then went over to a side panel and pulled out a jump pack. It was a jet pack type machine used for safe landings when skydiving or HALO jumping. It was initially meant for Ratchet, but with Clank, he didn't need it.

Ratchet then pointed to five troopers and opened the bay door.

"Dylan, keep your sniper on the pilot. If he tries to escape, which he won't, demobilize him." Ratchet yelled over the rushing air.

The seven lined up along the edge of the bay door.

Ratchet activated his helmet along with Neal, "You ready Clank?" He asked.

Clank nodded.

Ratchet then jumped and yelled, "GO, GO, GO!"

After three seconds of falling, Clank activated the jetpack. Ratchet pulled out his Constructo Pistol and landed on the ground. He pointed the pistol at Delton.

The troopers and Neal all landed shortly after.

One of the troopers spoke up, "Paletan pilot, you are under arrest by authority of the Galactic Rangers."

Neal had his Heavy Lancer out and pointing at the pilot.

Delton raised his hands slowly.

"What's your name!" Ratchet yelled.

"Delton" the Paletan replied, "Calm down now. I've done no harm."

Ratchet was disgusted, "Excuse me?" he chuckled, "You nearly killed one of my people. In fact he is still in the medic bay with a nearly severed leg."

Delton shrugged emotionless, "It's all business." Delton had a face that resembled a Lombax but with less fur and more lizard-like features.

Ratchet shook his head, "Doesn't excuse you."

A trooper then pulled out a pair of energy cuffs.

Delton looked around and saw several snow hills that he could run to. As the trooper neared him, he pulled out a rifle weapon that was concealed under his coat. He fired at the trooper and jumped towards the hill.

Ratchet opened fire but missed. The troopers and Neal all opened fire as well as some sniper bolts rushing through the air.

Ratchet and Neal both jumped from Delton's lasers. Delton's plan was successful and he made it behind the hill. He took off his coat, revealing a complex suit of armor and readied his rifle. Delton jumped up and fired upon the group. He hit two troopers and nearly skimmed Neal.

Ratchet jumped off to the side and fired several times. Missing Delton, he pulled another weapon, his Dual Lacerators. He opened fire and watched as Delton ran down the hill firing at the troopers. He moved with incredible accuracy and fluidity. Out of the five troopers Ratchet had brought, three were hit and killed.

Ratchet finally hit Delton in the leg. It didn't penetrate the tough suit, but it knocked him off balance. As he fell, a trooper landed a hit. Delton quickly shot up to his feet, but Neal and the other trooper shot him even more, knocking him back to the ground. Ratchet fired several bolts and penetrated the suit.

Delton fell to the ground will tainting the snow. He was breathing heavily but holding back the painful cries. The troopers, Neal, and ratchet all ceased firing.

As Delton was on the ground, a sniper bolt ripped through the air and into his leg.

"ARGH!" Delton yelled in agony.

The four watched the bloodied Paletan.

Delton was moving around in pain as blood gushed from his leg and blood stains covered his armor.

This man was a devoted Paletan. Regardless of the fact that he had lost, he slowly reached for his rifle, determined to please his commander; as soon as he touched it, another sniper bolt ripped through his arm, nearly severing it.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!" Delton yelled once more.

Ratchet and Neal looked away from the scene. The two troops then approached Delton and raised him to his feet.

"Gaarrrrgh!" Delton groaned as pain surged through his body.

Ratchet looked up at the ship and signaled Dylan.

Dylan called to the trooper pilot, "Land the ship, they're coming."

The ship then softly touched down. The two troops, Neal, Ratchet, and Clank walked up the ramp and into the bay.

Ratchet yelled for the pilot, "Take us back to the Phoenix."

The two troopers pulled out a concealed table and set Delton on it. The table was meant for medical purposes and had all the needed necessities. Delton was breathing heavily from the pain he was experiencing.

"Medic" One of the two troopers said.

A trooper with a red mark on his chest stood up and walked over to the table.

The trooper walked away, "Keep him alive."

The medic nodded, "Yes sir"

Ratchet and Neal then sat down next to the other Lombaxs. Neal deactivated his helmet and inhaled deeply. Ratchet did the same and leaned forward.

Dylan spoke up, "You guys alright?"

Ratchet looked up, "Yeah… we're fine."

Dylan swallowed deeply and scratched the back of his neck.

"Look" he said, "I get that scene was pretty gory, but he was trying to hurt you guys. You weren't doing anything, and I followed orders."

Ratchet looked back up, "I said we're fine. I'm glad you stopped him, and even gladder you didn't kill him. It's just what he did was beyond anything I've seen."

Dylan nodded slowly, "The way he moved?"

Ratchet nodded. At the same time, he wasn't too comfortable with the sight he had seen. Never before had he witnessed such gruesome detail.

Ratchet looked over at Neal, "You okay?"

Neal nodded, "I'm not a big fan of the gore in battles. But at the same time, it doesn't bother me. The thing that does bother me is what bothered you, his movement. It was like a Ninja."

Ratchet nodded, "I think these guys are much more of a problem than before."

Neal leaned forward, "Don't worry, this man is trying to kill our race. All we need is the motivation and we'll pull through."

Ratchet was enlightened slightly, "I guess you're right."

Neal nodded, "Good."

Ratchet sighed and tilted his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

"I hope these things aren't as bad as this one." Ratchet thought to himself.

_To Be Continued…_

_Sweet, another chapter down. I'm not entirely sure how many this book will have, but I know it won't be a huge amount. _

_I think this chapter turned out pretty good given the fact that I had more time to work on it. _

_Anyway, leave a review and tell me what you think. I love hearing from you guys and it motivates me greatly. _

_Don't forget to check out the blog. I have pictures of weapons for my returning readers and Lore as well. On top of that I post updates daily (or at least try to). _

_Until next time…_


	6. Chapter 6: Interrogation

_I love the start of a new chapter. It just feels awesome because I know that you all will enjoy it. Seriously, it brings joy to me to know that what I do, something that was discovered out of pure curiosity, entertains those that read it. Really, I started from a thought "I wonder if I can write?". Thank you all very much. _

_On with the story…_

**Chapter 6: Interrogation **

Ratchet and the squad were aboard the transport docking with the Phoenix. The entire time, Ratchet watched the Medic tend to Delton and his intense wounds. Every once in a while the Medic would require assistance with holding Delton down. Delton would even yell in pain at times.

The Phoenix already started a course to the metropolitan city of Endako. The transport needed to catch up with it since Sasha did not want to keep still over the now hostile planet.

Neal leaned forward, "Hey, do you think you can beat some info out of this guy?" he asked.

Ratchet nodded slowly, "Of course I can. I'll be sure to do the worst." Ratchet lost the sympathy he felt for Delton. He had time to think and came to terms with utter disgust and absolute hate.

Neal sighed, "Look, I don't like him either, but you can't kill him. I know your feeling; you were left alone with no knowledge of your kind. Then you discover your roots and are thrown back into aloneness after you try to do something. Now you have a man part of the race responsible for the extermination of hundreds of fled Lombaxs. Go easy on him and get the info, that's all we need."

Ratchet nodded while still looking over at the table Delton was laying upon. Ratchet only built up in anger. Just the sight of the Paletan made Ratchet sick to his stomach.

"I can't even stand looking at him." He finally said.

Neal looked over at the table and then back at Ratchet, "Neither can I. A disgusting race out to merely eliminate its rival for no apparent purpose."

Dylan was sitting next to Ratchet and sat forward, "Sir, please, I apologize for anything I had done wrong."

He was still stuck on the thought that firing upon Delton while he was down displeased Ratchet. Dylan was a rookie; he didn't really have any weapon experience, or battle experience for that matter, and merely said he did in order to help. But by luck, he had proven himself worthy of a sniper by having an eagle eye and pinpoint accuracy. Luck continued with him as he is a young Lombax of about 19 and is seen as a worthy ally.

Ratchet looked over at Dylan, "I was a bit shaken by what you did, but I'm far over it now. It doesn't bother me anymore and I'm glad you did what you did. I even think that Delton will talk just because you put him through that hell."

Dylan smiled, "I was shocked I even pulled the trigger. I was so nervous and wasn't really thinking."

Ratchet chuckled, "Well, don't worry about it. Whenever I have you as cover, just remember today and think 'can he still harm them?'."

Dylan nodded.

Ratchet then grew curious, "You know, I've noticed something about you. You say you have experience, yet you look young. How old are you?"

Dylan perked up, "I'm 19, sir."

Not only was Ratchet surprised, but the other Lombaxs and even the Troopers were.

A Lombax down the isle of seats spoke up, "And you did that to this Paletan? Damn kid, you got some guts."

Ratchet returned his attention to Dylan, "So you're 19 and have light weapons training." He said, "If you weren't a Lombax, I'd question you even more."

Dylan breathed a breath of relief. He was glad he didn't need to answer more questions that would eventually lead to the truth of his very little training that doesn't even include sniping.

The pilot called from the cockpit, "We're approaching the Phoenix, sir."

Ratchet got up from his seat and walked up the steps and into the cockpit. He sat in the extra seat and started the docking sequence.

"This is the Phoenix Transport" The pilot said, "requesting permission to land."

Sasha granted access and opened the main hangar door to the Phoenix. The transport slowly entered the main loading bay and touched down on the ground. Once the engines were cut and the ship was deactivated, Ratchet made his way back to the others. Clank jumped up on his back as Ratchet opened the transports main doors and walked out. Ratchet watched as the troopers and Lombaxs did so as well. He awaited Dylan and Neal. The three then stood at the foot of the large ramp and watched the medic walk out with Delton on the now hovering medical table.

"Sir" the Medic said, "I'm taking the prisoner to the medical bay. Inform Sasha that the interrogation will have to be performed in the infirmary."

Ratchet nodded and signaled for Neal and Dylan to follow. The three walked up the steps to the main shuttle.

"Ratchet" Clank said, "What do you plan on doing to this man?"

Ratchet shook his head, "It's not a man it's an animal. Remember he nearly killed one of the Lombaxs on Greblin. Besides, I'm not going to kill him. I get you all think that, but I'm not."

Clank nodded and kept quiet.

The four took the shuttle and ended up at the front of the ship. They walked into the main bridge and were met by Sasha and Talwyn.

Talwyn ran up to Ratchet and hugged him, "Did you get the pilot?" She asked.

Ratchet nodded, "Yep" he looked at Sasha, "The medic wanted me to tell you that the interrogation needs to be done in the medical bay. His wounds are so severe that he needs help to stay alive."

Sasha was shocked, "What happened down there?"

Neal sighed slowly, "Well he was far more skilled than we thought."

Talwyn crossed her arms, "How skilled?"

Ratchet put his hand up, "Let's just say we needed to excessively shoot him to keep him down."

Dylan stepped forward, "The wounds are gruesome. I should warn you."

Neal nodded in agreement, "The dame Paletan didn't give up even when he fell to the ground and was shot. Dylan here nearly shot his arm off when he tried to reach for his advanced rifle weapon. This gun was unlike anything I had ever seen and had deadly accuracy."

Talwyn's eyes grew, "Really?"

Ratchet nodded, "Yeah, the Paletans are incredibly skilled fighters and are very dangerous. This guy had moves and armor and guns that we couldn't match. I think we'll need a huge amount of planning before we try anything."

Clank jumped off Ratchet's back, "This man had incredibly skills. I am sure most Paletan troops are the same."

Sasha nodded, "Wow, looks like we'll be fighting a real war." She paused, "I'll meet you in the medical bay when I'm ready. I have to gather a few things before we can get the interrogation going."

Ratchet nodded, "Dylan, Neal, I think I could use your help. Three of us would surely get info out of this thing."

Neal shrugged, "I see nothing wrong with that."

Dylan shrugged as well, "I'm down. I'd probably scare him to death anyway."

Ratchet chuckled, "And that's why I want you there. With you in the room he'll talk like there's no tomorrow."

The three entered the shuttle and took it back to the main loading bay. From there, they went into the side door that was labeled "Medical Bay".

The three walked down the long corridor. As they were walking, Ratchet spoke.

"Dylan" he said as he was walking, "Pull out the Splitter Rifle. If Delton sees it, he may fear for his life."

Dylan nodded and grabbed his rifle handle. The large sniper rifle morphed out from the handle and into its weapon form.

Neal looked over at Dylan, "Put your helmet and visor on as well. If anything happens, say Delton escaped, a bounty would likely be placed on your head. Cover you face so he doesn't know what you look like."

Dylan nodded again and pressed the symbol on his chest. The helmet then folded on his head and the visor came down in front of his eyes.

Ratchet looked at Neal, "Extra precautions?"

Neal nodded and pressed his Hyperflux symbol, "We're dealing with an enemy with intense technology. If they try a prison break and succeed then our faces will be the first to appear on bounties."

Ratchet shrugged and pressed a button on his wrist. The Trillium Armor didn't have a symbol on the chest like the updated armor found in Polaris. Instead, Ratchet controlled his helmet with his mind. The Lombax Research Scientists made the suit respond to thought patterns; since Ratchet purchased the unique armor, he had mastered the thoughts and functions of the armor.

The three stopped in front of a door. On it was the word "Infirmary".

Ratchet looked at the two Lombaxs, "You guys ready?"

Neal nodded and Dylan rested the large rifle against his hip. Ratchet pushed open the doors.

The infirmary was modified to hold Delton. All of the extra beds were removed and only Delton's remained in the middle; the room was completely empty except for the bed and medical troopers. Along the walls were infantry troopers with their cannons pointed at Delton's bed.

The two medics looked over at the three concealed Lombaxs who had just entered.

One medic walked up to Ratchet, "Sir," The trooper said with a salute, "I'm afraid Delton's condition is far worse than we thought. The interrogation must be subtle and with slight physical contact."

Ratchet shook his head, "That's alright, I have my assistants here. The three of us will get him to talk."

The medic nodded his small head and signaled for the other medic to leave. The two then walked out of the room.

As Ratchet and the others walked up to the bed, Sasha walked into the room. Ratchet looked back and found her walking over.

"You're just in time" Ratchet said.

Sasha nodded, "I can see. The medic told me about his condition. Try to go easy on him."

Ratchet nodded back, "I know, I have some ideas that would get this guy to talk."

Sasha then sat down in one of the nearby seats. Ratchet grabbed one as well and pulled it up next to the bed.

Dylan stood at the foot of the bed with his Splitter Rifle in a stand-by position; barrel pointing at the ground. Neal stood behind Ratchet, awaiting orders for assistance.

Ratchet sat there looking at the Paletan. The half Lombax, half lizard had his eyes closed and was breathing slowly. Ratchet, starting to feel uneasy, got up from his seat. He grabbed the bed controls and started to adjust it so that Delton was sitting up. This awoke the Paletan.

Delton slowly opened his eyes. He had no knowledge of where he was or how he had gotten there, as if his memory was wiped. He focused his eyes from the harsh light until everything was clear. Ratchet walked to the foot of the bed and stood next to Dylan. Delton then fluttered his eyes to finish the focus.

"Wha-" Delton said in a week voice.

Ratchet spoke in a solid tone, "Hello Paletan." He said.

Delton's eyes were squinted, "Where the hell am I?"

Ratchet looked at Dylan and whispered, "Go over by Neal. Delton hasn't noticed you yet, I'll tell you when to come out."

Dylan nodded and went over behind Neal. The two watched as Ratchet looked at Delton.

"You're aboard my flagship." Ratchet said, "Now to my understanding, you are involved with the vermin called the Paletans."

This sparked instant anger in Delton and he was jolted awake, "How DARE you disrespect my race!" He budged forward but was stopped from intense pain. He grunted from the sudden shock.

Ratchet chuckled, "You know, my small team was lucky to subdue you. In fact we were lucky we survived."

Delton started to breathe more deeply, "What are you saying?" He asked with a worried look on his face.

Ratchet shook his head, "I'm saying you have info that we need. If we didn't need it, we would have killed you rather than subdue you. Do you see what I'm saying now?"

Delton looked at his arm. Bandages and red stains covered it from his wrist to his shoulder.

Ratchet continued, "So, I'm here to interrogate you." He said, "First things first, what does your race intend to do with the Lombaxs? Why are you suddenly after them?"

Delton chuckled, "You think that I'm going to talk with my enemy? You think I will go behind my entire species' back and leak classified information? You sicken me!"

Ratchet laughed, "I sicken you? No, you sicken me. Traversing the entire universe to exterminate an entire race like they were an infection is sickening. Fighting a race that has done no harm to anyone is sickening. Your race… is sickening."

Delton spat at Ratchet.

Neal saw it and could tell that Ratchet's temper was getting thinner and thinner. It was true; Ratchet now had a huge rage build up inside of him.

"Sir" Neal said, ", be careful"

Ratchet nodded slowly, trying to hold back his anger in his voice, "I know, I know." He walked over to the side of the bed, "The medic said light physical contact." Ratchet then made a fist and punched Delton across his face.

"Now, are you going to listen or am I going to have to go to the extreme?" Ratchet said sternly. He was intent on getting the information.

Delton coughed and spat some blood. He looked up at Ratchet, "Your race can burn in hell."

Ratchet nodded slowly and punched Delton once more.

Delton coughed several more times, blood coming out again.

Neal suddenly thought of a new plan and walked over, "Sir"

Ratchet looked up. Neal walked over to Ratchet and whispered, ", let me try something. Follow along if you can."

Ratchet nodded and took a step back.

Neal looked down at Delton, whom was looking at him. "I had the opportunity to speak with a man that knows a lot of your race. According to him, you run on a government based on loyalty and dignity. You live to please your leader, you serve him by risking your lives, and you do his every biding."

Delton looked away and drew his attention ahead of him. Neal started to walk around the bed slowly, "Say someone failed an assignment given by one of a higher stature, what would become of that person?"

Delton sighed. He was silent, but decided to give an answer, "That person would be grieved for life until he can do something that out shines the assignment. Great shame is brought to the race after each failure, so a punishment must be dire in order to keep our reputation in order. One fails, he sets out to clear his name, thus giving us our reputation of devotion to our leaders and race. We don't take failure as an option."

Neal nodded, "Oh, so you failing whatever mission you were on brought shame to your race? No surprise seeing how you were a dud in the first place."

Delton shook his head slowly, "You know nothing of my past."

Neal nodded again, "True, but if you had succeeded in the past, wouldn't you succeed now? Obviously you aren't a very worthy able soldier."

Ratchet knew what Neal was trying; using guilt as a means to further receive info. He spoke up "I hope you know that the man responsible for your arm was using a high powered anti matter sniper rifle; one that was constructed with the slight assistance of Lombax's."

Delton sighed with pain.

"That's right; I do research on weapons that I purchase; turns out that the entirety of the Lombax's indirectly helped in your defeat." He paused, "What shame you brought to your kind." He said softly.

Sasha grew cautious of the strategy being used. Delton seemed very strong and could possibly harm Ratchet, Neal, and Dylan if he wanted to.

Delton closed his eyes, "Guilt will get you nowhere."

Ratchet wasn't pleased, "Oh really?" he paused and walked to the foot of the bed, "Think of it this way; a Lombax, using a Lombax weapon, so easily defeated you. One pull of a trigger was all it took to stop you. Imagine how easy it would be to stop you again when you 'set out to clear your name'."

Delton was now speaking loudly, "You don't understand the meaning of this! Once your name is blackened, it is near impossible to clear it!" He paused, "No task is greater than what I was given. Ambush your kind and kill off your troops slowly!"

Ratchet nodded in surprise, "Oh good, your listening now."

Neal looked over at Ratchet, "Worked like a charm"

Delton paused, realizing he had just given out his mission.

Neal spoke, "So we know you were sent to kill off some of us. And that your race plans on killing us slowly. That's a good start. Is anyone else being given this type of mission?"

Delton shook his head slowly, "I have already said too much."

Ratchet grabbed Delton's face, "Yeah? Well it wasn't enough to us." He then released him with force.

"Kid" Ratchet said as he looked at Dylan. Ratchet signaled for him to show himself.

"Delton," Ratchet said as he walked to the front of the bed, "I'd like you to meet the man who put you through hell."

Delton just starred at Dylan in fear and disbelief.

Trying to convince Ratchet that he had nothing on him, he spoke, "And what's he going to do? Shoot me?" he said nervously.

Ratchet shrugged, "If it comes to that point, yes."

Dylan looked at Ratchet and then back at Delton. He knew that Ratchet was now trying to scare him.

Delton was now breathing heavily but slowly. He was thinking about what to do. Should he reveal the intelligence? Or should he die a failure?

Ratchet spoke up, "You know we really don't need extra weight around here. We can always find a new pilot to interrogate and get answers from."

Delton was now sweating. He was silent for a full minute.

Ratchet sighed, "Kid, I hope you're ready to get your first kill." He said.

Dylan complied, "Yes sir" He said as he raised his rifle. The barrel was now pointing at the Paletans head.

Delton was now shaking in fear.

"5 seconds" Ratchet said, "Or the one that put you through hell will send you there."

Neal was starting to sweat as well, "Oh god, please work" he thought to himself.

Coincidentally, Sasha was thinking the same thing along with Ratchet and Dylan.

Ratchet started to count, "5…." He paused, "4…." He paused once more, "3…."

Dylan readied the sniper and put his finger on the trigger.

"2…." Ratchet said.

Delton remained silent and was now breathing quickly. The single question droned in his head, reveal info and live or die a failure?

Ratchet sighed, "I really didn't want this to happen" he paused, "1…."

Dylan started to slightly pull the trigger.

Delton heard the clicking of it and yelled, "ALRIGHT!"

Silence engulfed the room. Dylan lowered his rifle slowly as the Paletan was breathing deeply and sweating greatly.

"I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!" Delton yelled.

Sasha let out a silent sigh of relief. Neal and Dylan walked to either side of the bed while Ratchet stayed at the foot.

"Let's go back to the beginning; why are the Paletans after the Lombax's?" Ratchet asked.

Delton was still breathing heavily, "We were hired by Tachyon. He gave us an opportunity to finally end our time of despair. We have been on that wretched planet ever since the Lombax's forced us from Fastoon."

Neal cut in, "Yet he gave you the job of searching other galaxies and not the one Fastoon was located in?"

Delton nodded, "Yes, he learned of our failure and did not trust us entirely. We still worked with him, but we knew he would fail as well. When word got out that he had been killed, we extended our search here."

Neal nodded, "We know that you are based in Andromeda on an unknown planet. According to what we have, you are the only inhabitants of Andromeda that know of Solana, Bogon, and Polaris. And that you can easily travel to and from the uncharted galaxy."

Delton nodded, "Yes, but we do not go against our neighbor galaxies."

Ratchet looked intrigued, "How come?"

Delton shrugged, "I couldn't say exactly. But I have heard rumors that one galaxy was highly advanced and the other was filled with advanced races. Another rumor states that the more advanced races are helping the lower ones to advance."

Neal nodded, "That's an interesting rumor."

Delton nodded as well, "Yes, it is", he paused, "There are other rumors spreading of the Paletans working with a new race, the highly advanced race in our neighboring galaxy. I can tell you right now it is false. The rumored race is supposedly far more advanced than Paletans; we are smart enough to stay away from them."

Ratchet nodded, "Okay, I think we can push that aside." He paused, "Where are the Paletans stationed here?"

Delton looked at Ratchet, "Some place called the Obani Moons. An entire fleet set up a base on main moon and are there as a means of central operations."

Dylan cut in, still interested in this rumored race that populated an entire galaxy, "Okay, but what about this other race? What else do you know of the rumor?"

Ratchet interrupted, "That isn't necessary. A rumor is something that we can't trust."

Delton shook his head and disregarded Ratchet, "That's it, that we have allegiance with the galaxy sized race, whom in turn have allegiance with another ; a system of separate species working together for a common purpose. But like I said, it is entirely false and only was made for publicity."

Dylan nodded.

Ratchet was pleased with what he had gotten out of the Paletan. He felt complete now that he had broken the one that was sent to kill off the Lombax's one by one.

"I think we're done." Ratchet looked at Sasha, "Do you think of anything else?"

Sasha nodded and walked over to the bed, "How guarded is this base?"

Delton shook his head, "I'd say about three thousand troops spread out on the moons."

Sasha nodded, "Looks like we'll need to use the garrison."

Ratchet nodded back, "These guys are tough. We'll need all the help we can get."

The four then headed out of the room. The two medics passed by as they were heading out. Ratchet stopped and spoke to one.

"You may find some facial injuries." He said before he started to walk off.

The medics both went to the bed and started to tend to Delton's wounds once more.

The intelligence was given. A plan has been set. The Obani Moons were now a target of the Galactic Rangers. Ratchet and the others were pleased that they now had a major lead that could quickly end this fight. But one man was not content. Dylan had one thought jumble in his head.

"Another race? The Paletans working with two other species secretly? Were they the leaders or the followers?" These thoughts continued in his head. Regardless of the fact that it was a rumor, Dylan still found discomfort in it. "How could a single species populate an entire galaxy and still have allegiance with one from the other neighbor?" Dylan continued thinking on the question, hoping that he could find a true answer.

_To Be Continued…_

Wow this chapter took no time at all. I'm not only surprised by how it turned out, but also by how quick I was able to write it and still be perfectly fine with it.

Anyway, you can kinda guess that the book is coming to a close very soon. My next book is going to be big, like SUPER big, so i need a lot of time and preparation to make it my best one yet. I'm hoping at least 15-25 chapters (but could very well be 10-15).

Leave a review and tell me what you thought. I enjoy reading what you guys say and it brings joy to me whenever i see a new review.

Until Next Time...


	7. Chapter 7: The Obani Moons Attack Pt 1

**Chapter 7: The Obani Moons Attack Pt. 1**

Ratchet and Sasha entered the shuttle. They now had their info and Sasha had already called ahead for the pilots to set a course for Obani. Ratchet was calmer than he was earlier. He had already beaten his anger out on Delton and felt completed. The race that had been hunting his own race can now be stopped, and on top of that Ratchet was able to get the message across to someone of Paletan decent.

The two entered the bridge.

Talwyn saw them enter and walked over, "I didn't think you were cut out for interrogating." She said towards Ratchet.

He shrugged, "What can I say? I'm mad when I'm mad and happy when I'm happy."

Talwyn chuckled and then looked at Sasha, "So do we need to make a plan or something?"

Max and Angela walked up to the trio.

Sasha nodded, "Yes" she looked at everyone else, "Meet me in the war room. We have schematics and maps of the Obani Moons. We can use it to plan our attack."

Ratchet had other plans though. He wanted to see exactly what was wrong with Aphelion and if he could even fix her.

Sasha started to walk towards the war room but stopped, "Oh and Ratchet"

Ratchet turned around as he walking out of the bridge, "Yeah?"

"I called in a few engineers to look at Aphelion. You may want to head back and assist them with that virus." She said.

Ratchet smiled and nodded, "Thanks"

He walked out and into the shuttle, Clank was right behind Ratchet.

"So Aphelion is being worked on?" He asked.

Ratchet nodded, "That's what Sasha said."

Clank nodded as well, "I wonder how they were able to input the virus so quickly, and how they knew which virus to use."

Ratchet shrugged, he didn't have a single clue, "Who knows, they're an advanced race. They probably scanned us and found out about Aphelion's speech function."

Clank looked out the shuttle, "I have a very bad feeling about this attack, Ratchet. Paletans are so much more powerful than us."

Ratchet chuckled, "That's true"

The shuttle stopped and the two exited.

As they walked down the stairs, Ratchet spoke up, "I remember, a while back, I met a man. He knew so much about us. He knew how we had a huge arsenal and saved Solana and Bogon. He knew about us being kidnapped by Vox. He even knew some stuff about Lombaxs."

Clank looked up at Ratchet.

Ratchet continued, "I remember he told me that I was skilled beyond imagination. Your help just made it even grander." He explained, "Then he said something that was inspirational. 'You're always outnumbered, but never outgunned'." Ratchet finished.

Clank chuckled, "Well it does fit your occupation."

Ratchet chuckled back, "Yeah, so I think we'll be fine. The Lombaxs have the weapons. If I had it and outgunned anyone, then a group of Lombaxs using the same ones will definitely outgun anyone."

The two continued walking towards the ship. Ratchet saw five engineer troopers examining the innards of Aphelion.

"So how's it going?" Ratchet asked as he approached the team.

One engineer stood up, "Good to see you sir, we've been examining your ship for some time now. Our scans show that a verbal restriction virus was implanted onto the ship; the virus is deeply implanted in the code, so we can't seem to find it."

Ratchet nodded, "I get that, but how? How did they get it on Aphelion?"

The trooper then held out his hand. In it was a small dart-like bullet, "This is a highly advanced transfer device; much more advanced than ones we have. If I were to guess, this one has multiple times more processing speed than normal devices."

Ratchet grabbed the small device and looked at it closely, "This is what stopped Aphelion?"

The trooper nodded, "Yes sir, they landed a direct hit on 'Aphelion's' main power core. You're lucky it wasn't destroyed."

Ratchet nodded, "Let's hope they don't use something worse against us during the attack."

The trooper then looked back, "How is it coming along? Did you find the virus code?"

One of the workers nodded, "Yes sir, but we can't seem to get rid of it completely."

Ratchet, Clank, and the Trooper walked over.

A screen with various numbers in the Lombax language riddled the display.

"We found it right here in this small patch." The engineer said as he pointed to an odd display of Lombax numbers that differed greatly from the others, "But our software can't get it off."

Ratchet stepped in front of the screen, "Let me try something" He started to type away, trying to find a way to demolish the virus code. After a minute of typing commands, Ratchet gave in.

"Nothing" He said as he stepped back.

One of the engineers then implanted a device into the computer, "Let's try using our removal software. It's worth a shot."

After another minute of nothing, the software gave a notification.

"Virus Code Detected. Eliminate using what method?" The screen displayed.

A trooper then typed in a response, "Anti-Code"

"What's anti code?" Ratchet asked.

The Trooper looked at him, "This method, developed by a team of scientists on this ship, will generate a code that would counter that of the virus. With it in place, the virus would not be able to spread, nor would it be able to function properly without it running into the counter code."

One of the other troopers spoke up, "That should work for a while" he said, "But it isn't permanent."

Ratchet nodded as he looked at the screen.

The trooper looked at him, "Try communicating"

Ratchet then hopped into the cockpit and activated the ship.

"Aphelion" Ratchet said, "Can you hear me?"

A female voice was suddenly heard, "My word, a verbal restriction virus. How… how… did they know what to use… us…use." The AI spoke but had trouble doing so. The virus gave it a stutter and difficulty to form the words.

Ratchet smiled, "She works, but her speaking is a bit stuttered."

Aphelion replied, "Of course…course. I detect you are u…us…using a code that is opposite of the virus to eliminate it. That does….doesn't entirely stop... p…p... the problem."

The engineer nodded, "We'll need something of Paletan creation to get rid of the code."

Ratchet sighed, "Okay, well, good work guys. I have to head back and check out the plan of attack."

The engineers all saluted, "Yes sir"

"Clank" Ratchet said, "Do you mind examining Aphelion a bit more? I don't want anything else along with the virus in her system."

Clank nodded and jumped into the cockpit.

Ratchet walked back up the steps to the shuttle. He activated it and headed for the bridge.

He wondered about how they were going to execute this attack. Ratchet hated sending out the Lombaxs for attack, which is why he asked for Hyperflux only; he feared for their safety. In fact, if Delton hadn't hit the Thermaflux guard, Ratchet would be much more content on launching full attacks with all the Lombaxs. But ever since then, he hasn't really trusted the Thermaflux against the advanced weaponry. The thoughts of what could go wrong just jumbled in his head. They could all get killed or get captured easily.

"Come on, Ratchet" He said to himself, "Pull yourself together. Nothing is going to happen."

It wasn't all the armor's fault either; Ratchet just had a hard time trusting those in it. He feared for them, and therefore didn't trust them in battle.

The shuttle stopped and the large glass door slid open. Ratchet walked out and across the small opening to the bridge. He entered and headed straight for the war room. Max, Angela, Sasha, Talwyn, J-31, H-26, and F-7 were all standing around the gridded table.

"Just in time" Sasha said, "The maps and everything we got from Delton have been put in."

Ratchet nodded and stood next to Talwyn.

Sasha then pressed a button on the computer in front of her. The grid then lit up and models of the Obani Moons appeared.

"Now" she said, "We didn't get exact info from Delton, but we can pretty much tell exactly where these guys are hiding."

She then zoomed in on the largest moon.

"Delton said there would be a couple thousand troops spread about the moons. The surface area isn't that much to hold such a number, so they'll be underground for sure." She then zoomed out slightly and input the models of three battle ship cruisers and small trooper models. The troopers scattered the ground and the immense ships hovered above the moon.

Ratchet cut in, "So what, go in guns blazing?"

The team discussed exactly what would happen. While this was all going on, Neal and Dylan entered the Lombaxs living quadrant of the ship. The two were traveling the Phoenix in an effort to pass time. As they did this, they spoke of each other's skills and what they had done before being picked up by Angela. Neal was a doctor on his planet, which was named Dewla, while Dylan was on the run from gangs, and other people he had messed with on the planet Redon. He assured Neal that it was all in good faith, an effort to stop the violence of these gangs.

As they entered the living quadrant, they were surrounded by the others.

"What happened?" "Did you get the info?" "Can we stop these things?" "What do they want from us?" The questions poured in towards the two Lombaxs.

Neal held his hands in front of him, "Calm down everyone, calm down." He said loudly.

The Lombaxs grew quiet.

"We did finish the interrogation. The Paletan did give us the info we needed to plan an attack. I don't know what the plan is or what we're going to do for the immense base. All I know is that we will all be fighting this one. We will more than likely have the troopers, their garrison, and we fighting on the moons to not only eliminate them, but to gather new intel and data we need." Neal explained.

The Lombaxs were now whispering among themselves.

Neal shook his head, "Look, just wait for Ratchet and he'll have all the details on the attack."

Dylan whispered at Neal, "Do you really think Ratchet would let everyone on the moon? He's already protective about the ones in Thermaflux."

Neal looked at Dylan, "Ratchet _will_ let them fight. We can't win with only the Hyperflux and troopers; we need all the firepower and brainpower we can get."

Dylan shrugged and walked over to the living area.

Neal sighed and watched as the Lombaxs conversed with each other.

Just as he was starting to walk in, a hand came up on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was Ratchet.

"Do we have a plan?" Neal asked.

Ratchet nodded and sighed, "I don't like it, but its full proof."

Neal smiled and looked back at the Lombaxs, "Everyone gather around. Ratchet has the plan for us."

The Lombaxs then headed for the main living area.

"Ratchet," Neal said, "They'll be fine, just don't worry about the bad things and stick to the plan you made."

He nodded and followed the Lombaxs down the hall and into the large living quarters. The Lombaxs sat and stood in front of the large screen. Ratchet walked up and faced them.

"Okay, we have a plan. Based on what we got from the pilot, the Paletans have a base on the Obani Moons in the Solana Galaxy. The plan is really complex and will take time to execute." He explained, "I, Dylan, and Neal, will head down and land on the first moon undetected. We will then infiltrate the ground level base and steal camouflage devices described to use from the pilot. They will make us look exactly like a normal Paletan guard. Once we do so, we will gain access to the main defense terminal. I will then shut off the main air defenses and deactivate all shielding leading into the subterranean base. I will also cut off all communication to and from Andromeda." Ratchet paused, "Once that's all done, you all, along with our Troopers and their back up garrison, will run in guns blazing." He paused again, "Please, don't do anything rash and remember your training. I don't want to come back with some of you missing."

The Lombaxs all nodded their heads.

One raised their hand, "What about the cruisers? Surely they have ships that transport the troops."

Ratchet nodded, "Those will be handled by the garrison. They will use their own cruisers and ships to destroy them. One will be salvaged so that we can get the resources needed to travel to Andromeda."

Another raised their hand, "Andromeda is the system they are located in?"

Ratchet shook his head, "No, galaxy. They are in an uncharted one and we can't get there without some help from their technology."

The room was now quiet.

Ratchet smiled, "Good" he said, "Activate your suits and get your weapons ready. The three of us move out now. We've already warped to the Solana Galaxy and just need to land on the moon." He walked to the door, "Let's go, you two."

Neal and Dylan followed after Ratchet.

"Sir," Dylan said, "since when did Delton say anything about camouflage devices?"

Ratchet chuckled, "Oh yeah, I figured you'd ask that. I went back and asked him some more questions. That's when he told me of these things."

Dylan nodded.

The three entered the main hangar area and walked over to Aphelion.

As they were walking, Ratchet spoke, "My ship has a virus in it. It has verbal functions and will surely want to speak with you two."

Neal looked at Ratchet, "Why's that?"

Ratchet stopped, "It's a Lombax ship."

Neal quickly shot his head over to the ship, "That doesn't look like one."

Ratchet chuckled, "The Zoni powered it up during the Nefarious attack in Polaris."

The three continued walking.

Ratchet hen opened up the cockpit and the three entered. Ratchet started it up and Aphelion awoke.

"Good…good…. Welcome back sir." She stopped, "Oh my, Lombaxs!"

Neal and Dylan chuckled.

Ratchet spoke up when he closed the canopy, "Oh there's more Aphelion. You've missed a lot since the virus was uploaded."

Aphelion sounded happy, "As long… long… long as Lombaxs are safe, I'm fine fin…fine with whatever I missed. I will al… also take orders from you two if need be…be."

Dylan and Neal chuckled at the ships excitement.

Ratchet then took off and headed towards the Obani Moons.

_To Be Continued…_

Oh man, what a chapter. This one was quite difficult to write, so I apologize if it is a bit rough. Next chapter will be much better as I will have plenty of time to write. I'm sorry for delaying this one, I hated doing it but I needed to in order to finish it.

Anyway, don't forget about the blog. I post daily and give updates on my progress and future projects.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think so far. I enjoy reading what you think and can always do with the criticism (how else will I get better?).

Until next time…


	8. Chapter 8: The Obani Moons Attack Pt 2

_Sorry that I cut the last chapter before the actual attack. But I had severe time constraints and had no choice. I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless as it is my job to entertain you and give you what you all love._

_Anyway, the new site is completed. It is the same name as the on under webstarts, but it is now under weebly._ www. sciencefictionstories .weebly. com

Enjoy the new site, especially to those who don't know much of R&C or Star Fox.

_On with the story…_

**Chapter 8: The Obani Moons Attack Pt. 2**

As Ratchet was flying, he activated the cloaking system on Aphelion. Thankfully, Aphelion was far more advanced than most of the Paletan ships, so the cloaking worked like a charm.

"Sir," Aphelion said, "I'm detecting… detec…detecting major numbers in hostile forces."

Ratchet nodded, "I know, don't worry about them. They can't see us and we won't be fighting them just yet."

Three immense battleships hovered around the moon. Buildings and troopers also riddled the ground.

Ratchet decreased his speed greatly as he neared the moons. He then handed Dylan and Neal data chips.

Neal took it and examined it, "What is this?"

Ratchet replied, "Weapons; they are Constructo Pistols. We won't need big guns right now. Attach them to your suit and get em out."

The two complied and did so; pulling out the two pistols.

"They have a new modification that was recently added to GrummelNet's list." Ratchet said, "They are fitted with a beam firing system, rapid trigger, and silencing barrel. They sound like little puffs of air every time you shoot."

The two examined their new guns.

Ratchet then pointed to an opening, "There that looks like a good spot."

Neal brought up a map of the moon, "It says here that the base should be too far from there."

This moon was different from the others. This moon had vegetation with trees, plants, hills, and small mountains.

Ratchet then slowly landed in the opening. Surprisingly, no troops were in sight. The three silently exited Aphelion.

Ratchet, when he landed on the ground, activated his Trillium armor. He looked back at Dylan and Neal, who had their armor on as well, "Shh" Ratchet said quietly.

He then grabbed a GPS device. It had the base with the camouflage devices marked and had an approximate distance on it; 1 mile.

Ratchet then signaled for the two to follow him. The three started to walk slowly.

As they were walking, they heard a slight noise emitting from behind a bush. It sounded like a body hitting the floor.

Ratchet then signaled to drop down slowly. The three went to prone position and aimed their guns at the small bush. Ratchet then slowly got up and walked to the bush. When he reached it, he took a deep breath and jumped over. On the opposite side was a Paletan soldier laying down. Luckily, Ratchet didn't make any noise when he landed. The soldier seemed to be resting.

Ratchet then slowly walked backwards, aiming his pistol at the guard. He came back over the top and signaled for Dylan and Neal to continue, but at a faster pace. A few yards away were the edge of thick tree cover. The three ran for it and used it to quickly advance to the base without being detected.

As they were running through the trees, Sasha came over the comm line.

"Guys, the fleet is in position. The garrison is positioned far enough from the enemy ships and the original troops given to us are on standby for deployment." She said.

Ratchet nodded, "Great, we're almost to the building with the devices. I'll contact you when we have them." He then cut the transmission.

"Few hundred feet" Neal said as they continued running.

The moon they were on, the largest one, was big, but small enough to where you can see it curve slightly.

After a minute of running, they could start to see the building through the thick trees. The three stopped and made their way up the slope of a rather large hill that they had stopped near. At the top, there were some bushes and small plants. The hill was big enough that the three could see over the trees and have a clear view of the building. They went down into prone and hid amongst the bushes to keep cover.

"Dylan" Ratchet said, "Get out your Splitter Rifle. Scope out the entrance and see how much soldiers we have to get through."

Dylan did so and pulled out the sniper. He looked down the scope and quickly found a group of soldiers in front of a sliding door. He watched as they stood there motionless. After a few seconds passed, the doors opened. The guards all turned and stood at attention to the Paletan walking out.

Dylan let out a small sigh, "A group of guards at the door. Five of them. An unarmed Paletan in a suit just came out. He looks like he's of a higher rank."

Ratchet then grabbed the sniper and looked for himself.

"Damn, his suit looks like Delton's. Maybe he's one of the hunters that have the killing mission." He said.

Neal then grabbed the rifle and looked through the scope, "Dear god, it looks just like Delton's." he paused, "We're going to have to kill him and make sure he's dead once the attack here is done. If this man is left alive, then he'll just continue his mission. And seeing how Delton wasn't as skilled as the Paletans wanted, this man could be incredibly dangerous."

The man then walked back inside the building.

Ratchet and Dylan nodded in agreement.

Dylan pulled his pistol out, "Let's hope that when we get in there, he'll still be inside."

The three then got up and ran down the slope. They neared the end of the tree cover. A small road was in between them and the next tree cover.

Ratchet was breathing a bit deeply. He slowly poked his head out from behind the tree he was at. He saw the guards were still facing the door.

He put his head back, "Okay, they all have guns and they're just standing there." He whispered.

Neal readied his pistol, "Let's take them."

Dylan nodded, "Yeah, their armor can't be as strong since they're just grunts."

Ratchet shrugged, "Alright, on my count."

The three then ran across the road and into the other side of the tree cover. They then slowly made their way closer and closer to the base. The guards had no clue of the three Lombaxs hiding in the tree cover.

Ratchet and the others jumped from tree to tree and grew closer to the guards.

They stopped at the edge of the cover. The trees the three were hiding behind were mere feet away from the guards. They were positioned at the left of the guards.

Ratchet whispered, "I'll take the two left, Dylan takes the middle, and Neal takes the two on the right." He paused, "One… two…" he said silently, "Three."

The trio then jumped up from behind their trees.

The guards were quick to react, "INTRUDERS! GET THEM!" One guard yelled.

The trio then blasted their assigned guards; easily taking each of them down due to the weaker armor.

The five guards dropped to the ground dead. However, their cries were heard. Two more guards came out from the building. Ratchet quickly fired at them and took the two down before they could even fire a single bolt or let out a single breath.

Dylan sighed a sigh of relief, "Holy crap that was too close. Do you think anyone else heard?"

Ratchet shrugged, "I'm not sure, but let's get the bodies inside so no on sees them while we're in."

The three then put away their guns and headed for the door. Ratchet searched one of the guards and found a security pass. He grabbed it and swiped it on the control panel next to the entrance. The door slid open and revealed a room with a wall of monitors. Two guards sat in front of them and watched over the screens.

Neal and Dylan were already moving the bodies inside.

"Did you get them, Kelton?" One of the guards asked without looking back.

Ratchet was quick to answer and held up his pistol, "No" He then fired and downed the two guards.

He walked out and assisted Neal and Dylan with moving the bodies inside. When they finished, Ratchet closed the door and walked over to the wall of screens.

"It looks like they have this entire moon system under surveillance." He said.

Neal and Dylan walked up on either side of him.

Neal scanned over the screens, "Too bad they're about to go out."

Ratchet then looked around the room and found a door to the right of the wall of screens.

"That man we saw" he said, "He's through that door."

Dylan grabbed his pistol, "Where else would he be? Let's get him first so we don't have any trouble."

Neal looked around and found a chest-like container against the wall. He walked over and opened it up. Inside were small chips that had some symbols on them.

"Ratchet" he said, "Are these the disguises?"

Ratchet and Dylan walked over.

"Yes they are" Ratchet said with joy in his voice.

Dylan smiled, "So now we can easily take out this guy."

The three grabbed a small chip-device and attached it to their armors. Immediately they activated them and were scanned. After the scan completed, they were transformed into Paletan soldiers wielding grunt level armor, or so that's how they looked. They were slightly taller and looked identical to a Paletan.

Ratchet deactivated the helmet, "How do I look?"

Neal and Dylan looked at Ratchet's uncovered face. He looked exactly like a normal Paletan.

"Wow" Neal said, "This works pretty well. But since it's a hologram, try to keep from physical contact."

Dylan and Ratchet nodded.

The three then made their way to the side door, helmets deactivated, and weapons put away. Ratchet scanned the security card on the panel and opened the door. It opened to a stairwell that went down underground. The three walked down and found themselves in a much larger room. In it were ten times the monitors than in the upper room.

Ratchet whispered, "This must be the control center." He paused, "Split up and find the Anti-Air defenses, camera systems, and alarm systems."

Dylan and Neal nodded and split from Ratchet.

Ratchet walked straight and stood behind a Paletan trooper working on one of the screens in front of him.

He spoke up, "Excuse me" Ratchet said. The soldier turned around, "I'm a new guy here. I just arrived on the last transport vessel. Do you mind telling where I got myself to?"

The trooper turned around and looked at all the screens, then back at Ratchet, "Well, grunt, you're in the Central Control Center."

Ratchet nodded, "Thanks"

Neal was on the left end of the room. He overheard Ratchet and used the new knowledge to his advantage.

He walked up to a trooper, "Sir" he said, "I was sent to inform you that a full system reset is needed. Apparently a few glitches were discovered. They need you to shut off the alarm systems in order for the team to work on the server."

The trooper just looked at him.

Neal was quiet for a second, "Sir" he said once more, "DO you want me to inform the Commander that the moon base will be defenseless because you rejected orders?"

The trooper now looked a bit worried, "Oh, well if that's the case." He turned around and started to type several things. After a minute passed, the alarms were down.

Dylan was on the opposite end of the room from Neal. As he was looking at the screens, he spoke up.

"The Anti-Air Defenses" he said, "Are they any good?"

The trooper looked back at Dylan, "Excuse me?"

Dylan looked at the soldier, "You heard me. I'm new like the other one with me. I want to know if these defenses are as good as everyone says they are."

The soldier laughed, "Of course they are. Why would you think otherwise?"

Dylan shrugged.

Suddenly, the soldier's communicator started to bleep. He answered and spoke. After he got off, he walked over to Dylan.

"I have some business to attend to. Since there isn't anyone else here, I'll show you the basics to keeping the systems up." The soldier said, "You have major functions on this screen. Move cameras, scan screens, monitor AA systems and alarms. If anything happens, use override code 'Blanca'. That will give you access to all systems." The soldier then exited the room and up the stairs in a hurry.

Dylan thought, "That was too easy."

Nonetheless, he did what he had to do. He looked over at Ratchet and Neal. Dylan waved his arms and got both of their attention. Dylan then put his finger on his throat and pretended to cut it, signaling to end the troopers. Ratchet and Neal did so by shooting them.

Dylan then faced the computer and input the access code. Just as the soldier said, he was given access to the entire system. Dylan, seeing the AA defenses were already down, deactivated the alarm system. Once he did so, he called out, "We're done. Alarms and AA defenses are down. Call in the Rangers."

Ratchet nodded and called up the Phoenix.

Sasha answered, "Did you get everything done?" She asked.

Ratchet nodded, "Move in and start the attack immediately."

She was then heard in the background, "Order all troops to move in on the surface and the garrison to start the attack."

Ratchet then cut the transmission.

Neal looked at the two, whom were still in their places, "Let's head back up and shoot at anything that moves."

Ratchet nodded and Dylan got up from his seat. The three started to walk towards the door.

But, halfway to it, Dylan stopped dead in his tracks; a sudden realization that froze him in fear and stunned his entire body. He began to sweat from his sudden nervous and sick feeling. Ratchet and Neal did not notice until Dylan quickly pulled out his Pistol.

Ratchet turned around and saw Dylan pointing his gun back, "What's wrong?"

Dylan slowly looked back at him, "The soldier." He whispered.

Ratchet's eyes grew intensely wide as he realized exactly what Dylan was saying. Without missing a single beat, he pulled out his Dual Vipers; a dual automatic pistol weapon created by Vox Industries.

Neal realized it as well, "Oh shit" he said as he pulled out his Heavy Lancer.

The three scanned the room and found no doors except for the one behind them. Leaving only one possible solution to their fear; the high rank soldier was still present.

Suddenly, the trio heard a laugh. It wasn't a soft laugh out of joy, more it was a laugh of pure humor. Whomever was in the room found the three's cluelessness absolutely funny.

"What the hell is that?" Neal said worryingly.

Suddenly, a being materialized a few yards in front of them. It was the same man that they had seen at the entrance of the building.

He was laughing, "I cannot believe this." He said, "After we sent Delton to kill you, I find you here, alive. It's incredible how you three are even here to begin with."

The three all had their guns pointed at the Paletan.

Ratchet shook his head, "Delton was skilled, but he wasn't skilled enough."

The Paletan chuckled, "And I knew that very well. Commander Yun knew it very well too. Everyone knew exactly how damned and pathetic Delton was."

Dylan spoke up, "Then why the hell would you send him on a mission that is basically impossible for a single person?"

The man tilted his head, "I assume you killed him then, since you do not know of the reason for the mission."

Ratchet cut in, "No, we know exactly why."

The Paletan then smiled, "Well there you go. He was an abomination to our kind and had to prove himself otherwise." He paused, "Seeing as how he failed to do so, I will finish the job."

Ratchet shook his head, "I don't think so." He then deactivated the hologram disguise and activated the Trillium helmet. Dylan and Neal did so as well.

The Paletan smiled even more, "Feisty are we? No matter, you will all die anyway."

Ratchet then pulled both triggers and fired the stream of plasma at the Paletan. Dylan opened fire as well as Neal with his Heavy Lancer.

The Paletan was quick; flipping back repeatedly to dodge the plasma being fired at him. As he was doing this, Ratchet put away his Vipers and pulled out his Omni Wrench. He charged for the Paletan screaming.

When the Paletan stopped, he was caught off guard. Ratchet smashed his face with a mighty swing from the right. The Paletan nearly toppled over but caught himself. Ratchet then came back from the left and landed a direct hit on the Paletans face once more. Ratchet then used the momentum to spin around and land one more hit.

The Paletan fell to the floor but quickly jumped up, dodging the bolts from Neal and Dylan with mere inches to spare.

Ratchet ran for the Paletan once more. He jumped with his wrench above him. He slammed it down, but was shocked to see the Paletan jump out of the way and land a perfect spin kick. The kick was so powerful that Ratchet was thrown off his feet.

Dylan then ran for the Paletan. He threw several punches but was met with a counter of the final one. The Paletan grabbed Dylan's arm and threw him to the side. The man then grabbed Dylan and slammed his fist into Dylan's face. Dylan was thrown back from the force.

Neal then charged for the Paletan. Neal had his own melee weapon; a wrench with a sharp blade on one end. He sliced at the Paletan but missed each strike. The Paletan then lunged forward with a punch, but Neal jumped back, evading the punch.

Neal then jumped back once more and pulled out the Heavy Lancer once more. He held the trigger and fired relentlessly at the Paletan.

"DIE!" He yelled as he fired.

The Paletan then started to run sideways, leading the plasma at his quick and ninja-like movement. Neal tried to lead him, but every time he did so the Paletan would seamlessly change direction. The man was using Neal to his advantage. As Neal was shooting, the man was getting closer and closer to him. He ran, but slowly neared Neal.

The Paletan got within striking distance and landed a clean right hook. Neal fell to the floor. He grunted and looked up at the Paletan.

The skilled soldier was slowly walking towards him.

"You Lombaxs are pathetic. I find it extremely hard to believe that your race is what drove us from Fastoon so long ago. Really now, three of your kind can't even scratch me." The Paletan said as he was walking.

Neal coughed, "You're in over your head."

The Paletan burst into laughter, "You think we're cocky? You think we are reckless? We are the second most advanced race. The Lombaxs no longer exist here!"

Neal looked at him funny, "Second?"

The Paletan quickly lost his smile, "Perhaps I have said too much."

Suddenly, a dark blue beam of energy flew past the Paletans head. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked back. Dylan was on his feet with the Splitter Rifle in hand.

"You little nuisance!" yelled the Paletan.

Dylan aimed carefully and pulled the trigger once more, this time, landing a clean shot to the Paletans abdomen.

The Paletan was pushed back and hit the ground with great force. Dylan, without any concern of the Paletans condition, fired again, this time to the chest.

The Paletan lied on the ground in intense pain. He was breathing heavily as two large gashes were on his front. He held his hands over them and looked at Dylan.

He started to breathe slowly, and continued to go slower, "You…" he paused, "…will die…" the Paletans head then fell back on the floor. He now lied there, lifeless.

Ratchet got up to his feet and held his side. He walked over to Dylan and Neal.

"Are you okay?" Neal asked.

Ratchet nodded, "Yeah, we need to get back up and help the troopers."

Dylan just starred at the dead body that was in front of him. With the Splitter Rifle in his hand, he looked back at Ratchet and Neal.

"Let's get up there now. They should be well in the attack by now." Dylan said.

Ratchet and Neal nodded. The three then ran for the door and up the steps. Ratchet, still with some pain in his side, powered through and ignored the soreness. They had a new mission, shoot anything that moves.

_To Be Continued_

What a chapter. I'm very good with stealth, so I apologize for any rough edges.

So what'd you think? Leave a review and tell me your thoughts. Also tell me how you think of the new site. It's loaded with new stuff that will help the new Ratchet and Clank readers get up to date. It will also help those new to Star Fox.

I might as well address this now; I do NOT have a date as to when Chapter 9 will be posted. I am seriously having trouble concentrating on this, school, work, and life in general. Sometimes I work on the book, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I don't work on it for a whole week. Chapter 9 won't have a set date, but it may be next week or the week after.

Until next time…


	9. Chapter 9: Advancing

_Chapter 9 ladies and gentlemen. The chapter that starts the ending of A Truth Revealed. The final events will take place in these last chapters; the truths will be revealed. Are you ready?_

**Chapter 9: Advancing **

The three Lombaxs exited the building. Almost instantly they were shot at. Luckily they quickly took cover behind some boulders. Ratchet and the two didn't think it would be this ridiculous. Above them, ships zoomed to and fro and the immense battleships fired their weapons; chaos ensued over them. As if by luck, J-31's squad was nearby and saw the Paletan troops firing at the boulders. J-31 ordered his squad to attack and quickly disposed of the threat. Ratchet, Neal, and Dylan then came out and were escorted back to Aphelion. According to J-31, the ground forces were already nearly wiped, and the required resources for the Phoenix's upgrades were collected. On top of this, a raid on several compounds gathered enough intel to plan the perfect attack on the home world as well as further upgrade the troops, Phoenix, and weapons for a much needed technological boost against the Paletans. Not only could the troopers get new armor, personal shields, and better training, but the Lombaxs could finally use weapons with tech close to that of their kind. Ratchet found great comfort in this. Knowing that Lombax-like weapons were to be used by the Lombaxs, he found no reason to hold them back.

When the group reached Aphelion, J-31 ordered them to return to the Phoenix and plan using the extra intel, as well as wait for the upgrades. As soon as they left, J-31 and his squad made their way to their LZ, where they were picked up and transported from the Obani Moons. The massive Paletan battleships were now floating ruins of flames and chunks of metal. The Moons were also ravaged. The Paletan threat occupying the system were eliminated entirely, no soldier left alive, no ship left destroyed, no building left in piece. The Galactic Troopers easily handled the unsuspecting enemy forces.

As the trio landed in the main hangar of the Phoenix, Ratchet thought about what could possibly happen with what the attack had brought them. For once, Ratchet actually saw a strong will rise inside of him. Never before had he thought so positively about this war.

Ratchet made his way to the bridge shuttle while Neal and Dylan went to the Lombaxs living quarters. Halfway through the large hangar, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and found Talwyn. She instantly embraced Ratchet in a hug. Talwyn stayed back on the ship during the attack. Ratchet's words and experiences with the Paletan capabilities caused her to think twice about going down on the surface with her 'weak' armor.

Ratchet, surprised by the affection, embraced Talwyn back. Talwyn slightly released Ratchet and planted a firm kiss on his lips. She was scared about Ratchet attacking the base with no quick backup and little defense. In fact, she was beyond scared. She couldn't help herself but think of all the bad that could go wrong. Nonetheless, her love had returned from the daring mission safe and sound.

She released Ratchet's lips and hugged him tighter, "I thought for sure you wouldn't come back." She said as tears rolled down her eyes.

Ratchet chuckled, "Tal" he said, "Never would I not come back. I will always be here. Don't think so much and you'll have the same confidence that I have."

She nodded and released him. She wiped her tears away and smiled slightly.

"Go on back to the room" Ratchet said, "I'll meet you there as soon as I debrief with the rest."

Ratchet kissed Talwyn on her cheek and left for the shuttle. Talwyn heeded what he said and went back to the room assigned to the two. As Ratchet stepped into the shuttle, the airlock in the hangar engaged and the trooper transport landed in the bay.

The shuttle made its way to the front of the ship. As it moved, Ratchet saw engineers already installing the new hardware and software needed to run the new upgrades. The shuttle ran through a long hallway, below the shuttle was the control center. The long hallway was filled with row after row of computers and such. The engineers were working around the troopers, trying to get the ship ready.

The shuttle stopped and the sliding door opened. Ratchet made his way into the bridge and found Sasha, Angela, Max, and Clank speaking. Sasha saw Ratchet and signaled for them to meet in the war room. The four did so and entered the war room.

Sasha was quick and started up the debriefing. The grid displayed the main moon of the Obani Moon system as ravaged. Large Paletan ships that were also ravaged were floating around aimlessly. Some were crashed onto the surface.

"As you can clearly see," Sasha said, "The attack was a huge success. Only 1% of our troops were lost in the ground attack, and only 3% lost in the air attack."

Max spoke up, "That's incredible. For a race that is highly advanced, they sure do put up a sloppy fight."

Ratchet shook his head, "Don't let that get to you. These guys have some intense fighting skills on them."

Angela looked over at Ratchet, "Another one of the assassins?" she asked.

Ratchet nodded, "One with the same training and mission as Delton. I tell ya, these guys have a very odd… I don't know… they just don't seem normal."

Max nodded in agreement, "They are an odd race indeed."

Sasha pushed it aside, "Anyway, several squads were actually able to infiltrate and take over some compounds on the moon. In the compounds were files upon files of intelligence that ranged from technology to battle plans, to history. Our top scientists are already working on the new upgrades for the Phoenix."

Ratchet was intrigued, "What kind of upgrades?"

Sasha shrugged, "We should be getting a much stronger shield, AI defense turrets along the hull, stronger weapons, and better engines. On top of that they are working on upgrading the weapons used by the Lombaxs as well as new armor and cannons for the troopers."

Clank chuckled, "This sounds similar to Paletan technology."

Angela cut in, "How long will all of this take? I mean there's a lot to do, the ship, the weapons, the troopers; what's the time line on all of this?"

Sasha shrugged again, "I'd say about a month. We're heading to Metropolis right now. There the troopers and Lombaxs can get their upgrades fitted. While all of this happens, we rest."

Ratchet sighed, "Good, I can't stand to see another Paletan."

Max agreed, "We are all very tired of running and fighting. But it will all soon end. I say we make the best of it while we have it."

Sasha nodded and dismissed the group. Ratchet headed straight for the shuttle but was stopped by Angela.

"Ratchet" She said, "How are the Lombaxs doing?" She asked.

Ratchet smiled, "They're doing just fine. They returned with everyone accounted for." He paused, "I know it was nerve racking to send them down in the first place, but they pulled through and kicked the Paletans where it really hurts."

Angela chuckled, "Get your rest started. We only have a month."

Ratchet nodded and went for the shuttle. He entered and the sliding doors slid closed. As the shuttle moved along its track, he watched the engineers work on the computers and the troopers command the ship. They all worked so hard to keep the ship in working order. To Ratchet, it was a shocker to see how much more serious and less cowardice the troopers had become ever since the Tyranoid invasion.

Ratchet exited the shuttle when it stopped and the door slid open. He made his way down the steps and made a right into the Lombax living quarters. He entered the large room and found many of the Lombaxs lounging around the main living area. They all were content and seemed normal, as if they were sitting there the whole time.

Dylan walked up to him, "Do you trust them now?" He asked as he pointed.

Ratchet nodded, "Yeah, it's like the attack didn't even faze them."

Dylan smiled, "Don't forget that Lombaxs are excellent with weapons. You should know this pretty damn well." He paused, "By the way, we already sent off the weapons to be examined. The scientists are looking over them and applying the intel for the tech."

Ratchet nodded, "Good, I'll send over my guns when I get the chance."

He walked through the living area and through the door on the other side. He entered a long hallway with doors on either side. Each door was placed about six feet from each other. Ratchet made his way down and found the one that he had been using since they met up with Sasha. He walked in and found Talwyn lying in the bed, asleep.

Ratchet walked into a back room and closed the door. He pressed a button on his chest; this caused the armor to beam back into his belt. Ratchet took off the belt and changed into his usual yellow shirt and blue pants. He walked out and slowly climbed into bed with Talwyn, whom was facing towards the wall. He was beyond exhausted and wanted to get some rest. He slowly lied down and moved his arm under Talwyn. He then wrapped it around her waist and slowly drifted into sleep.

Sasha was still awake. She was checking on the scientists in the research wing. The Solana Research Organization had given her 500 scientists to work on board the Phoenix in case their expertise was needed. Luckily, they were given the intel to make the upgrades for the Rangers and the Lombaxs.

She entered the large room and was met by the director. The director was a brown Cazar male with a white lab coat.

"Ms. Phyronix" he said, "Glad to see you are interested in the progress."

Sasha nodded, "I just came down to see if any of it was even possible. I mean you just received all of the information. But is it possible?"

The Cazar nodded, "Of course. We're currently working on the new bodies for the Rangers. The intelligence is pretty straight forward, so we're actually making some very quick progress. We immediately started the body designs. The scientists are also studying what we need. As for the Lombaxs, a separate group is currently looking over the given weapons. I was told not much could be done for them since the weapons are from several different manufactures."

Sasha nodded, "I'm sure Gadgetron wouldn't mind producing the new weapons." She scanned the room. Scientists were walking to and fro, others were on computers, and others were conversing with each other. "It looks like you guys have a lot to do. I'll leave you be."

The director nodded, "Take care, Ms. Phyronix."

Sasha exited the room and walked back down the hallway that led into the hangar. She walked up the steps and into the shuttle. As it took her to the bridge, she watched the engineers work on the computer systems. They were making progress; before they were on the computers near one end of the shuttle hall, but now they were more than halfway down, meaning they were close to finishing the software installation.

Sasha entered the bridge and was met by Angela.

"So" Angela said, "How long till we reach Metropolis?"

Sasha looked out ahead towards the main screen, "The Phoenix isn't moving at top speed. We should get there in about a week."

Angela nodded, "What about future attacks?"

Sasha shrugged, "To be honest, I'm not too worried about it. A month of rest is something needed after all that has happened in the last couple of days."

Angela nodded, "Yeah"

The two then walked up to the railing in front of the captain's chair.

Angela sighed, "So Max is handling the intel that includes history?"

"Yes, Max and Clank volunteered to do so. They both seemed so interested in it. Who knows, they may find something useful; perhaps something we can use for the final attack." Sasha said with confidence.

It grew quiet for a second.

Angela then broke the silence, "Well" she said, "I'm heading to bed. It's late for me and I am exhausted."

Sasha smiled and nodded, "Alright, well good night."

Angela then left the bridge, leaving Sasha alone with the few rangers at their stations. She then headed off to the war room, where Max and Clank were looking over the intel.

A week later, Ratchet awoke in bed beside Talwyn. He slowly moved his arm from around her and stretched. He went into the side room and changed into his original Commando Suit given to him by Megacorp. He walked out and decided to check on the trip progress. Ratchet walked down the hall and entered the living area. Several Lombaxs were already awake. It was pretty early for Ratchet, but it could have been late for the few Lombaxs that were up.

Ratchet continued walking and was unaware of them watching him. They saw him as a fantastic leader and saw him as a savior almost. They all knew about what he did back on Greblin, and set their view on him. However some were confused as to why he wouldn't allow some of them to see action at first.

Ratchet walked into the main hangar and up the steps into the shuttle. With sleep still majoring over his body, he nearly lost balance when the shuttle started to move. Ratchet didn't pay attention to what was on the outside of the shuttle; nothing interesting besides the troopers at their computers. The engineers, whom were working in the new software, had finished the upgrades a few days before.

As the doors slid open, Ratchet walked into the bridge. He saw Max, Clank, and Sasha talking in front of the captain's chair.

"Hey" he said, "How far are we from Metropolis?"

Sasha acknowledged him, "Good morning. We should be there in an hour."

Ratchet nodded and looked at Max, "Did you find anything interesting about the Paletans?"

Max shook his head, "Nothing that was too complicated. It was mostly about the Lombax rivalry. But, I'm still far from done. There's so much to read from what we got."

Clank agreed, "Indeed, the troopers did an excellent job gathering the intelligence."

Ratchet nodded, "What about the Phoenix's upgrades?"

Sasha cleared her throat, "We sent ahead the information for producing the new engines, shield generators, and turrets. When we arrive, a team on stand-by will begin work immediately. But like I said before, it'll take about a month for them to finish."

Ratchet nodded, "So we're a month away from ending this damn feud." He sighed, "What about Delton?"

Sasha looked at a few troopers whom were near-by, "The rangers are going to escort him to a maximum security detention center. I'm sure they'll be able to handle him."

Max then left the two, "If you'll excuse me, I must continue with my work."

Ratchet cleared his throat, "So do we have a plan or something?"

Sasha shook her head, "Unfortunately no. We'll need to use the entire time we are on Metropolis to prepare an attack. I'm having some of the generals and commanders assist in the planning so we have the best strategy against the Paletans."

Ratchet nodded, "I'm heading back to my room. You need any help before I go?" he asked.

Sasha frowned and shook her head, "Nothing that I can think of."

Ratchet shrugged, "Alright, just give me a shout and I'll help in any way. Remember, I was captain of this ship before."

Sasha chuckled, "Yes and you were a very skilled captain."

Ratchet then exited the bridge.

With the final attack on its way, Ratchet began to grow very nervous. Ever since they landed in Metropolis, the thoughts of attacking the home of these fiends haunted him. An entire planetary assault against an incredibly strong enemy; this didn't sit too well with him.

A week before the upgrades were scheduled to be finished, the team received word that the Lombaxs' weapons and the Ranger upgrades were completed. The Rangers all headed off to the secret location to receive their new bodies, while the Lombaxs took the transport to the Gadgetron headquarters. They were met by the CEO, whom easily recognized Ratchet. The two spoke for a little, mainly about where Ratchet had been in such a long time. While they did this, the Lombaxs received their beefed up guns. Ratchet was also presented with a present from the CEO. After hearing of the situation the Lombaxs were in, the CEO gave Ratchet the latest in the RYNO series, the R.Y.N.O VI.

The VI was very odd. The size was about the same as the R.Y.N.O V and even looked similar to it with some slightly different details. The weapon boasted an incredible 9000 shot magazine and was unlike any of the previous RYNO's. This new weapon fired a hell fire of bullets, auto tracking missiles, auto tracking lasers, bombs, and one final charged laser as the final shot. The CEO warned Ratchet of its cost, about 300,000 bolts to replace a full mag, and told him to use it only if he's being overrun. Ratchet heeded the old man's words and beamed the weapon into his belt.

The CEO was a very nice man and felt incredibly bad for the final Lombaxs. The last of the kind were being hunted down like animals. In order to show this, the CEO did something that was absurdly helpful. He led the Lombaxs to the main vendor in the headquarters and had a new belt for the each Lombax made. This new belt wasn't just a belt; in addition to their newly upgraded weapons, the belts contained a full arsenal of every Gadgetron weapon created. With the help of the CEO, the Lombaxs instantly became a small army with over 70 weapons each.

Once the Lombaxs tested their new upgraded weapons in the firing range, they returned to the Phoenix. As soon as they returned, they were called for a meeting to finalize the assault on Vastoon. Max had uncovered the name while they were visiting he headquarters.

Sasha spoke loudly so that everyone could hear. J-31, H-22, and F-7 were in the back with some of their squad members.

"This is the final plan. When we arrive to Vastoon, three transports will take you down to the compound entrance. A new stealth technology will allow you to land safely. However, the four Lombaxs with Paletan upgraded snipers will be taken to the top of the base wall. There you four will provide sniping cover after you take out those on the wall. You should be fine with your added arsenal. Once everyone else is boots on the ground, you will infiltrate the base using the new gear created. H-22 and his squad are experts in explosives, so they will be handling the new breach explosives. They will penetrate the main entrance and give you access. Once you're all in, you will make your way to the central building a mile from the entrance. Once you breach that, find Commander Yun and take him out." She paused, "Any question so far?"

J-31 raised his hand, "Uh, exactly _how_ protected is this base?"

Sasha shrugged, "The Paletans are very secretive. We have no idea and no way of finding out. It sounds like suicide, but it's the only way to do it."

Ratchet then spoke up, "Will there be air support?"

Sasha nodded, "Yes, the fleet was outfitted with new armor to be balanced against the Paletans. Air support will be available, but it will be very limited. Clank will actually be commanding the air support. He did well when you were in Dreadzone, so he could be up here commanding the aerial assault."

It grew quiet.

She then spoke up, "Max was able to uncover much more information about the Paletans." She then pointed to Max.

He spoke up, "After a month of studying over the massive amounts of intelligence, I was able to find several things. Commander Yun, for instance, is the one responsible for the assassination mission given to only two Paletans, Delton and the one killed by Dylan, Yun is also responsible for the attack on Greblin. I also was able to discover the one behind the Paletans leaving Andromeda to hunt here, Emperor Talon. Paletans run on a modified government. Talon is trained in the most prestigious arts of ground and air combat. He is also in full control over the army." He paused, "Their people and army are incredibly devoted to this man. If he dies, then the Paletans will surely surrender. With no commander and no emperor, they won't be fighting for anything."

Sasha continued for Max, "Once Yun is killed, hack into the terminals and find Talons' location. When you find him, do whatever it takes to kill him. If all goes according to plan, we will win this war with a single attack on their planet."

Talwyn spoke up, "So, when are we leaving?"

Sasha nodded, "Four days. We leave at full speed for Andromeda in four days. The entire Galactic Rangers fleet will accompany us, and they are already with their modifications like I said. The Phoenix is the last ship that is being worked on."

Ratchet sighed silently. Thoughts rolled in his head, "Four days until the suicide mission." He wasn't too keen on the idea of attacking a base that could have countless amounts of soldiers.

Max then spoke up, "Also," he paused, "I wasn't going to say anything on this, but, keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The intel had some very odd things that worried me a little. Some things about "them" were mentioned. I don't know who "them" is, so just be careful and prepare for anything."

Angela spoke up, "Please," she said, "Come back in one piece."

It was quiet for a second

Sasha broke it the silence, "Dismissed"

The group then all exited the war room. J-31, H-22, and F-7 waited for Ratchet. When he walked out, the three stopped him.

"Sir" J-31 said, "Do you have any idea what he meant by 'them'?" he asked.

Ratchet shook his head, with the sudden thought in his head, "No, I don't really think anything of it."

H-22 then spoke up, "Sir, don't you remember?"

Ratchet raised an eyebrow, "Remember what?"

F-7 leaned in and whispered, "Delton said something about an alliance with another race in another galaxy. He said it was rumor, but this talk about 'them' and the fact that it was concealed even in highly classified intelligence means something."

Ratchet pondered the new knowledge, "Huh, I never really thought of it like that." He paused and came to terms on it "Just follow what Sasha said, prepare for anything." He looked at H-22, "Get your squad equipped with the explosives." He then went for Clank.

"You sure you can handle commanding the entire fleet?" Ratchet asked as he kneeled down.

Clank nodded, "Of course, it should be just like our Dreadzone days. If not, I will find a way to win the battle."

Ratchet smiled and walked off for the shuttle.

The Lombaxs, Talwyn, Angela, and the squad members were waiting. The shuttle started to move.

Talwyn grabbed Ratchet's hand, "Are you ready?"

Ratchet nodded, "I'm wondering if you are."

Talwyn chuckled, "You know me I love action."

Ratchet smiled. He then took Talwyn's data belt off. He then connected it to his and transferred five of his weapons, one of which being the R.Y.N.O 4, to her belt. He handed it back to her.

"You'll need more than your pistol." He said.

Talwyn smiled, "Thanks"

The shuttle stopped and everyone exited. The Rangers went to the right, towards their quarters, and the Lombaxs to the left, to their quarters. Ratchet and Talwyn followed after the Lombaxs.

It was nearly time for the final attack. The Lombaxs were close to being rid of the Paletan nuisance. The war was close to ending.

_To Be Continued…_

And there you have it; we are nearing the ending more and more. I know most of this was just filler, but I wanted to make a slower chapter for Ratchet and company.

So what did you think? Did you like the slow and steady form? Leave a review and tell me about it. And don't forget about the blog. I post daily about how I'm doing and if there will be delays. www. sciencefictionstories. weebly. com (no spaces in between).

I also want to give a quick thank you to everyone. You all have supported me SO MUCH. Without you guys, I wouldn't be doing this and I wouldn't be what I am today, a writer. You're reviews are incredibly helpful and I love seeing whenever you guys post them. Seriously, you all are just fantastic readers.

Thank you and I'll see you all in chapter 10


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